I'm With the Mafia
by Blue Quartz Foxy
Summary: AU Uncertain about her identity and what she wants out of life, Haru Miura decides to sojourner in Italy for a year. However, instead of discovering herself, all Haru manages to find is trouble. Trouble in the form of a mafia turf war. 5986 1896
1. Breakfast at Vongola's

I'm With the Mafia

Disclaimer: All rights to Katekyo Hitman Reborn belongs to its' creator Akira Amano

Summary: AU Haru Miura is a woman who's in the throes of a quarter-life crisis. Uncertain about her identity and what she wants the most out of life, Haru decides to sojourner in Italy for a year. However, instead of discovering herself, all Haru manages to find trouble. Trouble in the form of a mafia turf war… Gokudera/Haru and other pairings

Chapter One:

Breakfast at Vongola's

After her twelfth contented sigh of the morning, the woman gazed fondly out the window of her favorite café. Well…maybe 'favorite' was too soon, since she had only been here a couple of times. Still, it seemed to best capture everything Haru had been told about Italy. The laid-back atmosphere, a restaurant matron who clucked her tongue and said Haru didn't eat enough – or maybe she meant something else-, and a beautiful view of the street.

A vanilla cappuccino paired with a bagel for breakfast while people watching. Haru figured this was a vast improvement over her previous morning ritual back in Japan: Wake up, coffee, get dressed and go to work, file some papers, more coffee and so on.

At least here, she could take her coffee and drink it too, rather than choking back flavorless liquid-tar. No one really bothered her aside from the waitress coming around to refill her cup, so Haru figured she must have had 'tourist' written all over her. A pity, since her cramming of Italian phrases and simple sentences would go to waste.

Haru smirked against her coffee cup as the young woman recalled her mother's advice, '_Don't let yourself be conned by some Italian gigolo, Haru. Your father and I don't mind paying for this trip to clear your head, but we won't be paying for some freeloading lover on top of your expenses.' _

"Don't worry, mother. I doubt anyone would be interested in me anyway." Haru mused quietly, wistfully staring out the window. Despite the fact that she did come from wealth, Haru didn't think she was the flashy type.

Besides…she stared down at her blouse which concealed a modest chest before frowning and pulling a plum-colored shrug-jacket closer over her shoulders. Besides, men like that tended to go for big-breasted bimbos. Haru knew herself to be too smart for insincere flattery, so she had nothing to worry about. Still, she supposed it wouldn't hurt if someone didn't at least 'try'…

As if she had summoned him with her mind (perhaps there WAS such a thing as telepathy!) Haru heard the chair across from her scrape against the floor before it was occupied.

Haru twisted in her chair to greet the newcomer with a smile, only to wind up disappointed.

"Ciao" the 'boy' said, his posture slouched in the chair and only his left eye visible underneath black bangs. Haru couldn't help but notice he was wearing a…cow-printed shirt that was slightly wrinkled and open nearly from neck to navel save for two buttons keeping it from looking indecent. He looked…cute, she guessed, but the baby-face wasn't winning him any points.

"Uh…ciao." Haru returned before pretending to be oh-so-interested in the milk foam of her drink. Maybe if she ignored it, it'd go away. Or at least find someone more age appropriate to hit on.

"My name is Lambo. What's your name beautiful?" the kid asked with a smile he probably assumed looked sexy, but kind of gave Haru the creeps since the guy had to be at LEAST ten years younger than her.

"Haru Miura" she said however was quick to point out something before 'Lambo' became too friendly. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

His 'leisure suit' composure dropped in an instant as the teenager sat up, "N-no way! How could you tell? I…uh…" he blushed before grumbling a curse word.

Haru smirked, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

He blinked both eyes, making Haru wonder for a moment if she had butchered the Italian equalivlant of what she was trying to say.

"You're Japanese?" Lambo asked. Now it was Haru's turned to be shocked, only to feel like an idiot. Duh. Her name gave it away.

"Just now, you said something in Japanese; I'm still kind of rusty though. Haven't really spoken it since I was a kid, but I sort of understood what you said. And as for my mouth and what I say with it is my own business…ma'am." Lambo reluctantly added since Haru had already blown his cover.

The fact he was raised in Japan actually interested Haru more than his attempt to flirt with her. And Haru just couldn't let a good curiosity just walk up and leave, "Why? Were you in Japan for awhile?"

Lambo scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, sort of. I grew up in Japan, even though I was born here. It's a long story."

Haru was about to ask more questions, but was interrupted by ringing of the bell above the café door. In walked a very angry looking girl wearing a white blouse and plain navy skirt, her hair in braids.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, sounding a little out of breath before walking up to Lambo who froze like a deer in headlights.

"I've been looking for you all morning, Lambo" the girl began in Japanese. "We have school today, in case you 'forgot'. Again."

Lambo sulked, sinking in his chair and looking – at least to Haru- like he was afraid of the petite girl standing before them, "As if you'd let me. Look, I've got a good excuse this time! Boss said he and the others were meeting here today, so I wanted to wait for them. That's not a crime, is it I Pin?"

The girl seemed to think it was. "Lambo, you know they'll only turn you away and send you onto school anyway."

"Well if that happens then I'll just be late. In case they do let me sit on the meeting, I don't want to miss a thing."

Haru tried her best to intervene between the bickering teenagers, since the girl was blushing and looked like she was trying very hard to hold in her anger.

"You should go to school, Lambo-kun."

This earned her an angry glare, "You're not my mother…" he looked to the girl, "And neither are you, for that matter. Stop bugging me about school, I Pin."

Before she could retort, Lambo stood up and left the café. He didn't go far though since Haru could see him walk over a couple steps away from the door leading in.

The girl, I Pin, frowned then fidgeted anxiously before apologizing. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. Lambo is…he's a dear friend and I want to make sure he…"

"Stays on the straight and narrow?" Haru offered in her native language to counter I Pin's switch to Italian. Brown eyes blinked, "Oh…so you understood everything" the girl blushed more.

"My apologizes…for being so rude. You were sort of dragged into our argument."

The brunette shook her head, "It's okay…I Pin is it?"

The girl nodded, so Haru introduced herself feeling it was only fair. "I'm going to be here for a little while longer. If you want me to, I can keep an eye on your friend and make sure he goes on to school."

I Pin waved her hands, "Oh no! I couldn't ask you to. It'd be such an inconvenience."

Haru smiled warmly, "Not at all, but you need to hurry or you'll be late too."

I Pin jerked a little, eyes going right to her wrist watch, "You're right," she bowed once more, "Sorry for all the trouble."

Before Haru could assure her once again that it really hadn't bothered her at all, she was actually pleasantly surprised to find a few people who could speak Japanese; I Pin was already outside the café and running down the street.

Lambo remained outside, leaning against the brick wall of the café and looking down the street as if waiting for someone. Haru sighed a little from the other side of the window. Oh what had she had gotten herself into?

She had only talked to those two for a few minutes and now Haru found herself agreeing to babysit a teenage boy. Well, it wasn't much different than her always volunteering to babysit for neighbors and family friends. From a young age, Haru had a soft spot for babies and children, so she supposed this was just history repeating itself.

'Sad. I would like kids of my own one day. Probably never going to happen since no one wants a woman nearing her thirties.' She thought while taking a sip of cappuccino before it got cold. Just as Haru batted away the 'old maid blues', a long black car pulled up to the curb just outside the café; then out of said vehicle was…what she could only describe as a parade of eligible bachelors dressed in suits.

Okay, so she didn't know if they were ALL single, but…damn. Haru swallowed a gulp of cappuccino just as the group entered the café. Right away, Haru found herself sizing them up. The tallest also had the broadest shoulders, short white hair and…bandages wrapped around his hands.

'What's up with that?' Haru wondered. Maybe he was some kind of athlete…or got some really bad burn marks from a hot stove. Who knew for sure though? Following him was a man with tan skin but by his facial features was so obviously Japanese, a little scar on his chin that looked pretty deep if not recent. He was smiling and joking with the man in front of him, even calling the other gentleman 'senpai'.

Behind them emerged a shorter man who actually seemed a bit nervous. His brown hair stood up and appeared messy yet retaining some kind of style. 'His eyes are kind of wide, pretty though.' Haru mused.

Bringing up the rear was a silver haired man who was snarling and literally pulling Lambo in by his right ear while muttering darkly to the disobedient boy.

Haru could only pick up a few words, yet cringed nevertheless at the over all tone. While it wasn't a good habit to develop, Haru felt truancy didn't warrant this kind of belligerent scolding.

Maybe it was the motherly instincts within her, but Haru had half a mind to walk up to the stranger and start verbally assaulting him! See how he felt about being dressed down in such a degrading and public fashion.

The group of five didn't wait to be seated; instead they combined tables and rearranged chairs to suit their needs. 'Huh, guess they're frequent customers.' Haru mused since no one else in the café blinked.

…wait. When did she become the only other customer? Looking around, Haru was amazed to see a bunch of people hastily paying for their coffee and baked goods at the counter and leaving in a hurry.

"Odd…" Haru said aloud. This was the first time she had seen a formerly full café suddenly clear out. In the back of her mind, Haru wondered if it had something to do with these men suddenly coming in. But, that couldn't possibly be the reason.

"Miss, do you want to take a refill of your drink to go?"

"Hahi?" Haru uttered, only to remember herself and smile at the waitress, "Actually, if it's all the same to you I'll stay."

The young woman cringed in response before whispering, "I wouldn't advise it since we're going to be closing the store for a couple of hours."

Okay. Now she was curious. "Why?" she asked, gazing wandering from the waitress to the new arrivals.

"It's uh…difficult to explain…" the server replied. Haru pouted a little in disappointment. Curiosity was getting the better of her, but she also didn't want to pester the hassled waitress with more questions.

Instead, Haru smiled sweetly and asked for one more refill. No, she'll remain seated and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. Once the server walked away, Haru tried to covertly observe the five men. Lambo was complaining about his ear hurting in his native language, but everyone else seemed to be conversing in Japanese.

Haru couldn't help but wonder why the duality in languages. First, Lambo-kun and I Pin, now these sharply dressed men seemed to switch between Japanese and Italian at the drop of a hat. She was more than a little bit jealous how fluent they were in both, she was struggling just to talk normally and catch everything people were trying to tell her.

"You should have called us sooner, Boss" the silver hair man started, in the middle of lighting cigarette.

"We would have rallied around the base in an instant if we had known, especially since it concerns Kyoko-chan." The man wearing the bandages said.

The man everyone was calling 'Boss' finally spoke. "It was pretty nerve wracking for awhile, but everything worked out in the end. Kyoko is safe and back in Namimori for the time being. Besides, Yamamoto and Lambo-kun managed the issue well enough…"

"Oi, Boss. When am I gonna be allowed to go with everyone else on missions?"

"Idiot! Don't interrupt the Tenth or change the subject" the smoke puffing man snapped. His hand reached over to smack the boy in the back of the head, making Haru see red for a moment. If Lambo were a bit younger, that'd be considered child abuse! Just because he was a teenager didn't give the guy an excuse to smack a poor kid around.

She was still seething when the waitress returned with her drink and didn't even see the woman leave because the whole time Haru was glaring daggers at the back of that man's head. And it didn't take him very long to notice, because in a few moments Haru saw the man turn in his chair, facing her.

What struck her first were his green eyes. He wasn't just 'staring' at her either. Oh no, it felt more like she was being seared under such intensity. 'He'd look very handsome if it weren't for the scowl.' Haru observed, actually feeling her pulse jump a little.

A very handsome man, too bad he smoked, hit teenagers and seemed to have a huge chip on his shoulder. He uttered a 'tch' before turning back to his comrades. Haru saw him leaning towards the 'Boss' and whispering something. This caused their table to become silent.

'Uh…maybe sticking around wasn't such a good idea after all.' Haru wondered. She didn't want to get into any trouble since her Italian vocabulary was very limited, plus Haru knew she could never lie or talk her way out of trouble. Actually, come to think of it; often it was her mouth that got her into trouble in the first place. Gradually their talking resumed, but in lower tones.

"…seems harmless enough. I talked to her earlier."

"Yeah well you're not exactly the best judge of character."

"Hey, don't be so rough on him Gokudera."

"Shove it, Takeshi. If Lambo had his way we'd be taking in…uh…Boss. Boss? Where are you going?"

Haru was startled to realize the one called 'Boss' had stood up from the table and was approaching hers. Unlike how Lambo went about talking to her, as if he had been out to seduce Haru; this man smiled warmly and extended a hand.

"Hello, my name is Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Ah!" Haru exclaimed, "You're Japanese too! I suspected as much, but I couldn't be sure. Oh uh…I'm Haru Miura by the way. It's a pleasure to meet…" The young woman stopped just in the middle of her introduction because Tsunayoshi reached across her table to Haru's refilled coffee cup.

"Sorry. I'll make this up to you, but…" he tilted the cup down and poured it into a nearby potted plant on the window sill. "I suggest you leave here quickly."

Haru blinked wide eyes, "I…what?" she breathed, confused as hell.

The man flinched, but continued with his rather cryptic warning, "I don't want another innocent life to get caught in the crossfire. That's why we had the staff close the café then ordered them to leave."

Dumbfounded, Haru searched for the right question to ask. First off, who the hell did this guy think he was? Clearing out a café, telling everyone that worked there to go home, and now demanding SHE remove herself?

Just as Haru took a deep breath and was ready to give him what for, someone shouted from across the room, "Boss, the window! Get away from the window!"

Next, Haru heard glass shatter. She was about to duck, only to find herself already on the floor, Tsunayoshi bending over her body like a human shield. Then in the next second, she and Tsunayoshi were surrounded by the four other men. Two of them had guns out, another with a katana, of all things, drawn and posed for a fight.

The last one, Lambo-kun, first offered a hand to help his Boss up then did the same for Haru.

"Lambo-kun, you need to get her out of here. And then find your way to one of the safe houses. I'll have Gokudera get you when it's all clear."

"Right" the teenager said, before looking to Haru, "Follow me." Before Lambo took her hand and yanked Haru along, she noticed Tsunayoshi was cut along his left cheek and hands from the glass.

"He saved me?" she asked aloud. "Why…would he do that? We only just met and…"

Lambo shrugged, "It's just Boss's way. You'll have to go out through the kitchen, since they might have someone waiting at the back door." He motioned to Haru to come closer before opening the door to what looked like a pantry. Lambo walked in and shoved his right shoulder against a fake wall so that it opened into a staircase below.

"This should take you out to the street if you just keep going straight."

"Wait! What about you?" Haru asked. Lambo grinned, "Aw, you shouldn't worry about me, Haru-san. I'm pretty tough, plus I can't look bad in front of everyone else."

With that, he waited for Haru to descend the short trio of stairs before closing the door. Haru squinted against the dimly lighted passage way, feeling around the cracks in the brick wall. For a few terrible minutes, Haru wondered if there was even an exit. And what would happen if she didn't 'walk straight' as Lambo told her. This all could have been some elaborate trap to kidnap and extort her for money.

However, Haru was relieved to find her worst nightmares were not about to come true, because after ten minutes of walking she saw a door with a cracks of light coming from underneath and the sides.

Throwing open the door, the young woman took in a deep breath of fresh air.

Now that she was out of the café and into the sunlight, Haru glanced over her shoulder and back to the door.

"What just happened?" Haru asked herself.

Notes: In case you couldn't already tell, I'm going a slightly AU route with the KHR plot, namely setting it in Italy with everyone as adults – or nearly there in Lambo and I Pin's case.

Plus, there won't be any magic bullets, Dying will flames, or other improbable stuff while still trying to get the storylines and characters 'pretty much' the same. This will be mostly Haru –and GokuHaru- centric but don't worry the other characters will get their time in the spotlight too.


	2. Loathing at First Sight

I'm With the Mafia

Notes: Thank you everyone for the reviews for the first chapter. I'll do my best to keep this story going right up to completion and keep it entertaining and as true to the characters as possible. Also, for a little bit of clarity, everyone is their TYL ages, someone seemed to be a touch confused, not that ages really are that big of a deal just thought I'd clear that little misunderstanding up.

Chapter Two:

Loathing at First Sight

The sidewalk path was a tourist's paradise. So many quaint family operated shops, local flavor aromas and culture abound. Yet, Haru saw none of these things. She kept a brisk walking pace which borderlines on a military march, wanting to put as much distance from herself and the café as possible.

Haru was confused as to what actually happened. The café had been attacked. Before that, five men came in and somehow that was the signal for the restaurant to clear out and close up.

The obvious answer was right there, staring her in the face. Yet, Haru also knew it was wrong to believe stereotypes and instantly buy into her first conclusions. With each step Haru grumbled, "Not all Italians are in the mafia. Not all Italians are in the mafia. Not all Italians are…"

White sandals abruptly stopped. "Wait a minute. A majority of them weren't even Italians! …so why was the café attacked?" the young woman pondered aloud.

'Was it…a terrorist attack?' Haru wondered, a small shudder rolling down her spine. It'd seem unlikely, since there were no mention of such activity being frequent occurrences in Italy. At least nothing like that came up in the online searches Haru did of the country a couple months before arriving.

"They kept calling Tsunayoshi-san 'Boss'. So…" Haru started mumbling while resuming her walk only to abruptly stop again. A right hand clenched in a fist hit an open left palm.

"I've got it! Tsunayoshi Sawada is obviously an international business man! Yes, that makes sense, after all he's Japanese but him and his associates speak Italian, so they operate out of this country the most."

She paced in a tight circle, oblivious to the stares. "Therefore, if he's a wealthy business man then that attack could have been a number of things. Perhaps it was a warning. A rival business trying to declare turf since they might not like foreigners getting involved in local business affairs. Maybe, this goes even further to a possible assassination attempt on Tsunayoshi-san's life!"

At her exclamation, side walk trotting pigeons scattered while Haru took in a big gulp of air to replenish the oxygen lost during her rant. She had solved the mystery! Not the mafia, but rather a respectable business man who just happen to be tangled in some unsavory tactics from his rivals.

With a sigh, Haru collapsed on a park bench, "Poor Tsunayoshi-san. He must be hassled all the time. Guess that's sort of expected when you're independently wealthy and well-known." Leaning back on the bench planks, Haru raised her right wrist up to glance at a silver watch.

She had four hours to kill before her appointment at the bank to close the lease agreement. Just enough time for a museum tour and pick up a light lunch. "Hm, wonder if there are any good exhibits…" Haru mused while reaching for her right shoulder to open up a purse, but nothing was there.

Haru's pink-wicker purse was several blocks away back at the café. In the hands of a man who valued the safety of his Boss over a woman's privacy, the bag didn't stand a chance.

Takeshi spied Gokudera with the bag, but before he could stop the right-hand man the purse was already unzipped and contents dumped on a counter.

"Uh…I don't think you should do that, Gokudera. What if she realizes it's missing and comes right back to get her purse?"

Gokudera's upper lip curled a little in annoyance at the thought of the tourist coming back and causing a scene; however Takeshi's protest did little to stop him from rummaging through cosmetics, passport papers, and credit cards.

It was a matter of seconds before he had divided the 'useless' from mildly interesting and possibly important. He flipped through a check book, scanning for major deposits, withdraws or other suspicious transactions.

"Hm, passport information looks normal." Takeshi mused while flipping through the pages. "Haha Her picture for the id is hilarious!" Holding up the passport to Gokudera, the swordsman also mirrored the picture with a bright cheesy smile and a V of his fingers.

"…idiots. I work with idiots." Gokudera snarled after taking one look at the dark-haired man then snatching the passport book from him. "Hey, I just said everything looked okay."

Green eyes rolled, "You wouldn't know how to spot a fake passport even if it had 'I am a Spy' written all over it."

"Well, you don't either. What makes you so sure she's a spy anyway?" Takeshi returned. Like warning him about opening the purse, Gokudera ignored him so Takeshi turned his attention to Ryohei who was patching up their Boss.

Tsuna flinched at the alcohol swabs and tried to shoo the other man away, saying the cuts were nothing. Ryohei wasn't having it though, saying his little sister would be extremely upset if she came back to Italy and saw her 'Tsu-kun' all scratched up.

"Hopefully such minor cuts will heal before she comes back." Tsuna replied with a small sigh.

Lambo popped up from behind a table, "Found another bullet, Boss."

"Toss it to Yamamoto then." The spent metal jacket flew up in the air before the older man caught it. Holding the bullet between his right forefinger and thumb, Takeshi let out a low whistle.

"Looks like these were all hollow point. Defiantly not toys, we were very lucky none hit us" he added before depositing the latest finding with the seven others collected around the café.

"That could be said about ANY bullet though, right?" Lambo asked. "True" was Takeshi's response.

It pissed Gokudera off how casual everyone was taking this attack. Boss could have died and it would have been their fault. Yet, Lambo was being schooled by the 'baseball idiot' about different types of bullets and Ryohei was being haphazard with the dressing of the Tenth's wounds.

Although his opinion didn't warrant a repeat, Gokudera uttered it again, "I'm surrounded by idiots." Equally frustrating was his lack of proof that the last person to leave the café was a spy. Everything seemed to be in order. The traveler's checks, Italian phrase book and a digital camera full of every-day Italian architecture without rhyme or reason screamed 'tourist'.

The only questionable thing Gokudera spotted was the large amount listed in her check book. However, that could easily be checked through the computer system back home, just to make sure she wasn't a spy from another gang that was getting paid to pry into Vongola business.

At this point though, he had nothing. It was starting to look like that woman was just a tourist, who didn't pick up on the not-so subtle cues to get out of the café while she still had a chance.

"We need to clear out." Ryohei advised. Tsuna nodded in response, "Let me call some repair shops though. See if they can do a rush job on the front window and get a cleaning crew in here so the café can open as soon as possible."

Gokudera found himself getting a little misty-eyed. That was his Boss. Always concerned about other people, even shop keepers and their customers…even stupid tourists were blessed by his lack of selfishness.

"…can I not ride back with Gokudera-nii? He looks like he's about to cry and embrace the Boss. I don't need people at my school seeing something that embarrassing. Again…" Lambo muttered to Takeshi who smiled and just waved off the teenager's concern.

"Give it a few minutes and it'll pass. He's been better about public displays to Tsuna lately." the Vongola assassin assured.

Although he didn't overhear Lambo and Yamamoto's conversation, Gokudera did compose himself in record time. Turning back to the purse, the silver-haired man made a broad sweep with his hands to haphazardly dump the contents back into the bag. However, he happened to miss one envelope which fluttered to the floor.

"Ah, you're forgetting something." Takeshi pointed out before bending down to pick up the white letter envelope. In the next second, Gokudera snatched it right from his fingers.

"Uh…maybe we should check the address before ripping into…" he tried to caution the right hand man.

In the time it took Takeshi to speak, the top of the envelope was in tatters and the letter unfolded so Gokudera could read it. "Or tearing it open and further invading a stranger's privacy works too." Takeshi finished, in the end wondering why he even bothered. If Gokudera felt his actions would serve and protect the Boss, the other man usually went headlong into his actions.

Gokudera squinted for a moment, the words a bit blurry. Damn, what a time to leave his reading glasses in the car. A quick glance brought him a little bit of hope since it mentioned a house. Perhaps this was instructions for how she was supposed to lure Boss to the window so he could get hit, then make her escape to a safe house. However, fiction turned out to be more riveting than reality, since a thorough read-through of the document only served to disappoint Gokudera.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked, trying to peer over a right shoulder. "This isn't useful to us. This paper is just a lease agreement for some countryside property." Gokudera ground out. He had been so sure there was something suspicious about that woman. Yet, simply because her purse didn't yield anything worth while, he was determined to have Spanner run a background check of this particular 'tourist'.

Gokudera for one didn't believe in coincidence. Everything from ESP, the Loc Ness Monster and Big Foot had evidence of being in existence. Nothing was by chance. And neither was her being at this particular café.

"Okay…guess that was a waste of time then." Takeshi said with a smile. Oh how that man's grin annoyed Gokudera. 'That guy just takes things too lightly' he thought with a sour expression.

Tsuna closed his cell phone before addressing everyone in the café, "I already called a repair shop to come by and fix the window. And asked for another car from Headquarters to pick us up…"

"Ah the shell game…Boss goes in one car and some of us ride in another. And both cars go separate routes, just in case we're being followed." Lambo interrupted.

Tsuna smiled in response to the junior's correct assumption. Most of the time it didn't seem the youngest Guardian was paying attention, but it was moments like this that proved the boy could listen and learn. When he wanted to…

"Now, there's just the matter of making sure Miura-san gets her purse back."

Green eyes blinked as suddenly everyone was looking at him. "What? It's not like I snatched it from her! She left it behind…idiots" he grumbled.

"Yes, but since it's in our possession, we need to make sure she gets it back." Ryohei started, "Women tend to get extremely antsy if they don't have their purses."

"You would know what with your little sister complex, Lawn Head." Gokudera muttered darkly, but Ryohei seemed to miss hearing him say it. Or maybe it was just selective obliviousness.

"Yeah…and when she finds out you went through it, she'll probably yell at you and call the cops." Lambo grinned, "Hey, I changed my mind. I want to go with Gokudera-nii and watch him get yelled at."

"Who said I'm going anywhere?" Gokudera snapped. If anything he was staying by the Tenth's side.

"Hm, you've got a point Lambo. He found the purse, so it should be Gokudera's job to return it." Tsuna pondered aloud.

Feeling a little betrayed, Gokudera cleared his throat before trying to 'politely' turn his Boss off the idea of turning him into an errand boy. "Boss, not that I wouldn't do anything for you."

Lambo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Kiss ass". Luckily, Takeshi covered his mouth before Gokudera could hear it and develop a strong desire to turn Lambo into a leather seat cover.

"Returning a purse…is a gopher errand. Something for a rookie to be in charge of…n-not that I think I'm above anything you assign, Boss. I just think it'd be better to leave this in someone else's hands." Gokudera concluded.

The café became very quiet for a few minutes. Then, Tsunayoshi nodded in agreement with his right hand man.

"You're right Gokudera. This task is more suited for a rookie."

Unable to help himself, Gokudera beamed at being praised by the Boss. Yet, the joyous expression wasn't destined to last because Tsuna turned to the 'rookie' of their group.

"Lambo, this can be your first assignment. You're in charge of making sure Miura-san gets her purse back."

The boy blinked, "Really? I can have my own assignment?" he asked, honestly shocked that endless whining and begging for his own tasks had paid off. Gokudera sided up beside Tsuna and whispered, "Do you really think that's a good idea? If left alone, Lambo's going to want to wander off and play somewhere."

A small chuckle escaped Tsuna, "I've already thought of that. You'll be going with him, Gokudera."

"…what?" the right hand man responded, a bit slow on the uptake. Tsuna cringed a little, "I know it's a chore, but Lambo can't drive himself to the Miura-san's hotel. Like you said, he's easily distracted and might not follow through. So, I want you to go with him since only Gokudera can keep Lambo-kun in line."

While flattered that Boss trusted him, even if it was a task such as babysitting the kid; Gokudera was also appalled. Did Boss think so little of his abilities as to saddle him with Lambo and as the teenager's underling and driver at that!

As if sensing his second-in-command's uneasiness, Tsuna closed his eyes, hands together and begged, "Please. I think it will do Lambo a world of good to do this. And I trust you…"

'I trust you' seemed to be the magic words with Gokudera. For where he was once very reluctant to tag-along on Lambo's 'assignment', all of a sudden the silver-haired man was all ready to go.

"Lambo, get your ass to the car. I'm driving. We won't be taking any side trips either. We're dropping off the purse then you're going to school."

The dark-haired teen shrugged, "Fine by me" Lambo replied before taking the purse off the counter.

It didn't occur to Lambo until he slid into the back seat and Gokudera took the driver's side. He was 'technically' the Boss. Well not 'THE' Boss, but the man in charge of this assignment.

Forget school. Lambo planned on milking this for all it was worth.

"It'd be much easier if she'd just produce the actual credit card…" one clerk muttered from behind one computer. To her right, another piped up, "Makes you wonder what she has to hide."

Haru bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her temper below a rolling boil.

First, she was caught in the middle of some freak and unexplained attack on her favorite café. Next, her purse got left behind at the last place she wanted to revisit, odd how one café could be both her favorite and least favorite in one go. And now the hotel staff was making it next to impossible to get a new room key and at least collect her things.

It was only the fact she remembered her credit card number and pin code she had been allowed this far along in the process of getting a replacement hotel key. But, without a credit card, hotel key, or even her passport, Haru knew she was pretty much stranded.

Didn't help matters the desk clerks were a gossipy bunch who conversed openly about her in Italian.

'I can hear and understand you two. Well…most of it.' Haru thought, feeling more than a little venomous. In light of everything though, Haru felt that she deserved to be a bit bitter. Today was just taking one bad turn after another. Wasn't it times like this in fairy tales that handsome princes rode up on white horses? And if not a fairy tale, then a romance novel, just replace horse with limousine or sports car and prince with roguishly handsome billionaire.

'Ha. As if' the young woman scoffed. Haru wasn't kidding herself. This trip to Italy was just a diversion, since her parents didn't want to be shamed of having their twenty-five year old daughter become a NEET. She couldn't keep her last job for more than a couple of months. Haru wasn't sure what she was looking for, only that she was hungry for more than a mundane life chained behind a desk every weekday. And Italy had proved to be full of excitement so far. Just…not the kind she had planned for.

"What I wouldn't give for someone to come to my rescue. I only need the one time. He doesn't even have to be good looking. Just someone to get me out of this jam…" Haru said to herself, head resting against open palms.

The young woman heard the intruder speak before seeing him. "We meet again, Haru-san."

Parting her fingers, Haru peered between the spaces. Sandals? Khaki pants…the shirt tails of a garment decorated with cow spots.

She abruptly sat up, hands away from her face. Lambo beamed while holding up her pink purse. "Oh my god, you…" Haru gasped while getting up to her feet in an instant, "You're a lifesaver, Lambo-kun! I could kiss you…"

He seemed to take that literally and puckered up. A bit frightened at her own impulsive statement, Haru quickly grabbed her purse in order to put a safe distance between herself and the amorous boy.

"Uh…on second thought, can we have a rain check on that? I need to sort out this little hotel issue first." Haru said as she unzipped her purse. Her eyes grew wide upon examining the disaster area contained in the wicker bag.

Lambo actually felt a cold shiver roll down his spine when the Japanese tourist pinned him with a glare. "Well uh…glad I could help. I think I'll be going…away. Right now...eep!" Following the very unmanly squeak, Lambo cringed as Haru roughly grabbed his shirt collar.

"What the hell did you do to my purse?" Haru gritted out, at the end of her patience.

The teenager swallowed thickly. This woman…was very scary. Maybe he should have had Gokudera-nii come inside with him after all. At least then he wouldn't be alone in facing the she-beast.

Smoke curled from the lit cylinder resting between his fingers. Gokudera had given Lambo five minutes to spot Haru. If he couldn't find her at the hotel, the kid had to leave the bag behind at the front desk. Whether she got the purse and all its' contents weren't any of their business after Lambo dropped it off.

Or at least, that had been the original plan. Ten minutes in and nearing the end of his first cigarette and Lambo still hadn't shown up.

"He's probably hanging around the hotel lobby, flirting with some girl." Gokudera snarled to himself. He should have known better than let Lambo spend so much time with his former mentor, now all the boy seemed to think about was girls. Not that Lambo was ever really dedicated to being a Guardian in the first place.

"Stupid tradition…always has to be a 'baby' in the group. Who the fuck thought up of that rule…" Gokudera grumbled. As he spoke of the devil, Lambo appeared from the revolving doors of the hotel and broke out in a sprint to the car. He hit the right back passenger side and was frantically pulling on the lever to get in.

"What is wrong with you? Let me unlock it before you scuff up the paint job, stupid kid."

"Hurry up then!" Lambo yelled, "If you wait any longer, she'll catch up!"

"She? Did you grope some girl again? I keep telling you to cut that shit out!" Gokudera shouted back.

Lambo shook his head still frantically tugging on the door handle, "I didn't, I swear! Please let me in before…"

Just as Gokudera unlocked the back doors, Haru came barreling out from the revolving doors. Purse clutched in her right fist, the woman was seeing red. It wasn't bad enough she had a near death experience that morning. And had to put up with annoying hotel clerks. Now, she had found her personal belongings had been riffled through and violated!

Her sights zeroed in on the teenage boy as Lambo scrambled into the back seat of a black car and slammed the door closed.

Inside, the fifteen year old wailed. "Drive, drive, drive! I can't let her catch me!"

"Stop ordering me around. And what did you do anyway…" Gokudera cut off when he caught sight of a hand reaching into the open window on Lambo's side of the car. Fingers roughly grabbed the boy by his curly dark hair, causing him to utter small whimpers and begging for mercy.

Slack jawed at what he was seeing Gokudera let his cigarette drop outside his window, turned the key in the ignition and stepped on the gas. He jerked the steering wheel to pull away from the curb. However, the young woman vaulted forward, ran a few paces then stood in front of the car, arms outstretched.

"Holy shit!" Gokudera spat out before abruptly applying the brakes. He and Lambo jerked forward as the car screeched to a halt, the front bumper inches from the crazy woman's kneecaps.

Lambo was still trying to untangle himself the unlocked seatbelt, while Gokudera wasted no time in getting out of the car.

"What the hell? Do you have a death wish? Well, do you? Crazy woman! What if I hadn't stopped?"

Haru glared in response, "Then you would have added vehicular homicide to your other crimes" she snapped.

"What are you talking about?" he began, but the insane tourist held up a hand as if to silence him. Gokudera couldn't believe it. Someone…she…what was she doing?

"I ought to call the cops! God only knows what you took from my purse. Thieves!" Haru spat out.

"We wouldn't want anything from your shitty purse!" Gokudera returned.

"Oh? Shitty is it? Since when did you become a fashion critic? Maybe it's your other job along with getaway driver and purse snatcher" the irate female hissed.

'You really don't want to know what I do for a living' Gokudera thought, but outwardly he glared at the woman, not wanting to get into any more trouble.

Unfortunately, Haru read his silence as an admission of guilt. "What? Don't have anything to say in your defense? I'll go ahead and call the police then, they can come and question you right here."

"Uh…that wouldn't be a good idea, ma'am. Getting the police involved will only cause more problems." Lambo hesitantly interrupted.

"I'm not talking to you!" Haru blurted out. "I thought you were a good kid, Lambo-kun. A bit misguided and too flirtatious for your own good, maybe…" Haru took a deep breath before continuing her tirade, "However if you're hanging out with thugs like him…" she pointed to Gokudera, "Then, my opinion of you can't go any lower!"

"Thug?" the silver haired man repeated between gritted teeth. That's it. He had enough. This crazy woman could scream call him a purse snatcher and a thief all she wanted. But, she had crossed the line by daring to compare his position as the Tenth's right hand to some common street thug.

Haru was in the middle of fishing out her phone and calling the police when a right hand suddenly clamped over her wrist. She opened her mouth to scream, only to find the opposite over her lips, stifling any noises.

"Listen. I didn't want to get involved with you in the first place. Boss wanted to make sure we returned your stupid purse. And for the record, we didn't take it. You left it behind. Understand?"

Coffee colored eyes narrowed at the Italian and Haru was just this side of biting his hand just so he'd release her. Yet, she nodded. Okay. So maybe she did leave it behind, but it was also possible Lambo-kun lifted the purse from her while leading her to the escape route. Either was possible.

Despite being as mad as hell, Haru didn't want to resort to violence or mar her trip by having to fill out a police report.

"Okay. You get it. Now, I'm going to remove my hand, you'd better not scream." Gokudera instructed.

Haru nodded again. She wasn't planning on screaming; instead her right leg was primed to deliver a swift kick to his vitals. Then, she'd run away to the safety of the hotel to check the contents of her purse to make sure everything was accounted for.

The second his hand lifted off her mouth, Haru shifted her weight to her left foot and pulled back the opposite. However, she miscalculated one thing: Lambo.

Lambo walked up while Gokudera turned away to get inside the car. So Haru's foot made itself at home in the teenager's crotch rather than it's intended target.

Shocked, Haru gapped as the boy paled, eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the sidewalk with a whimper.

"I…I'm sorry! That wasn't meant for you…Lambo-kun are you okay?" she asked.

"He'll be fine. Pain builds character." Gokudera said while pulling out another cigarette, "Besides, I'm sure it's just karma paying him back for all the girls he's made uncomfortable over the years."

"Stupidera…" Lambo muttered while still curled up on the sidewalk. Gokudera laid on the horn of the slanted-parked car to jerk Lambo back to the present.

"Shake it off and get back in the car. We wasted too much time here already…what?" he growled as Haru gripped the handle to the car.

"You two are not leaving until I know why you ransacked my purse."

Gokudera's upper lip curled. This woman was really starting to piss him off. They didn't owe her any kind of explanation. Most mafia bosses would have left the purse there without a thought of finding and returning the items back to their owner.

Exhaling smoke from his nose, looking very much to Haru like a dragon only wearing human skin; the green-eyed man retorted, "We don't have to tell you anything."

"Like hell you don't!" Haru jerked the driver door open and would have pried it open all the way if it wasn't for Gokudera grabbing it with his free hand and pulling the door back inward.

"We don't! Get in already Lambo; we're getting out of here."

"Maybe we should just tell her" the teen suggested. Before Gokudera could get out and stop him, the boy opened his mouth.

"Gokudera-nii looked through your purse because he was afraid you were a spy."

Haru pushed on the door, abruptly closing it so that the metal nearly caught on the driver's fingers. "A spy? That's stupid." Haru looked to Gokudera, "What on earth makes you think I'm a spy, huh?" the woman demanded to know.

"I didn't say anything like that!" Gokudera returned, only his gaze drifted from Haru to Lambo. His staring was rendered ineffective though because the mouthy kid kept talking.

"Well…we're kind of suspicious about everyone right now." Lambo confessed as he got up from the fetal-protection position and was upright once again.

After adjusting the collar of his cow-spotted shirt, Lambo shrugged casually before dropping a bomb on Haru.

"This isn't the first attempt on Boss's life. That's kind of what you have to expect when you're in the mafia."

Notes: I know a lot didn't happen in this chapter, but I promise that I'm setting up for something bigger later on down the road. So for the moment, please enjoy the scenery and I'll do my best to work on the next chapter post haste.


	3. Driving Miss Haru

I'm With the Mafia

Notes: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews. I'm still working my way to building up the plot, but at least this one promises some more Gokudera and Haru, so that's always a good thing, right?

Chapter Three:

Driving Miss Haru

Tsunayoshi Sawada thought himself to be a practical man. True, his adolescent years was full of freaking out. Then again, you'd be a bit jumpy too if you were told by some strange tall Italian man, who rudely invaded your home and brandished a gun; it was your destiny to be a Mafia Boss. Thankfully, the years had been kind to Tsuna and he lived to see twenty-five with a majority of his sanity in tact. He didn't experience quite so many panic attacks nowadays and didn't freeze in the face of danger or while contemplating a difficult decision.

However, there are some things which to this day struck terror into the heart of the young man. One of which Tsuna found himself experiencing any time one particular Guardian got behind the wheel.

"YES! WINNING TO THE EXTREME" 'nii-san' roared. His fists in the air as if he had won a boxing match. Meanwhile, the 'losers' of rock-paper-scissors filed into the backseat, the sheepish Yamamoto and the grim looking driver both failed to protect Tenth Vongola Boss from a force which defied luck, Fate, and the very laws of Nature: Ryohei Sasagawa.

"Forgive us, Tsuna?" Yamamoto said with a chuckle, eyes closed and hands together as both an apology and a prayer. Elio, the driver, had already strapped into his seat belt while looking a touch green.

'Maybe it won't be so bad this time.' Tsuna thought hopefully. He wanted to believe in Ryohei-niisan, but sometimes the man's confidence exceeded his skill. Ryohei was very strong and Tsuna had seen the man beat down opposing mafia members with nothing but his fists when they had guns. There was no doubt in Tsuna's mind Ryohei wanted to do the right thing, every time and would never go out of his way to harm someone.

It's just…

Ryohei flashed them a grin from his side of the divider window. With a thumbs up he said, "Don't worry Boss. I've got this under control. I'll get you back to base safely."

Before Tsuna could assure Ryohei they weren't in any imminent danger, the car engine cut on. Okay. Now they were in danger. Elio whimpered and ducked down, tucked to his knees, arms folded so the hands covered his neck, prepared for a crash.

Yamamoto, for his happy-go-lucky nature; tensed as Ryohei pulled away from the curb and into congested traffic. After several minutes of smooth merging, Tsuna started to relax a little and smiled weakly at Takeshi.

Another ten minutes Elio stopped playing single-man charades as 'the ostrich' and poked his head up from between his knees.

"Today must be a good day for Ryohei-senpai" Takeshi said with confidence. The white-haired man grunted, "Of course! I'm an excellent driver."

Tsuna had an ugly bruise on his left elbow from a broken arm a few years back and many documented doctor visits, which said otherwise. Yet, even a skeptic like Tsuna had to admit Ryohei was doing very well even in heavy morning traffic.

Suddenly, Tsuna and Takeshi's phones went off at the same time and then Ryohei's through a Bluetooth system on the dashboard. Both men in the back exchanged looks, must be very important if it was reaching all three phones at once.

Ryohei pressed a button, "Hit me, what's going on Gokudera?" he said before putting his left hand back on the steering wheel. The whole car heard a loud, high and inhumanly wail, followed by sniffling of snot and blubbering. Only one person could sound that pathetic…

"Lambo-kun? What's wrong?" Ryohei asked in the midst of having to maintain focus on the road.

"Gokudera…nii…" the teenager uttered around a hiccup. Ryohei applied his brakes a bit too harshly. "What about him? …Boss, I can turn down this road right?"

"Uh…nii-san that's not a road. It's an alley, plus it's kind of narrow."

"It should be fine if I drive through it fast enough." Ryohei said, gripping the steering wheel and foot heavy on the gas to forcefully plow through the narrow space. Tsuna winced as Mercedes side view mirrors scrapped against brick. "Well…just minor scratches." Takeshi said, trying to maintain hope.

Lambo's voice cracked as he kept talking, "Gokudera nii…he's going to kill me and the lady too."

"Whoa. Slow down kiddo. Octopus-head is hard on you sometimes, but he'd never murder you." Ryohei stated while in the middle of making a very sharp and fast turn down another street. Tsuna gulped. He had hoped to get through the day without having to take medicine for his ulcer, but that quickly started to look more like a flight of fancy than fact.

"He…" Lambo sniffled so loudly it nearly interfered with the Bluetooth speakers, "He…he said I should DIE because I told Haru-san we were part of a mafia family!" the fifteen year old blurted out.

"You did WHAT?" Ryohei shouted, hitting the gas instead of the breaks, sending the car careening forward into the traffic congested street below. "N-nii-san! The road! Watch the…" Tsuna's warning was over powered by the screech of tires.

On the other side of the call, Lambo blinked wet eyes. The teenager thought he heard someone shouting, it sounded like Boss and then a crash. "Ryohei-san?" he questioned in a watery warble. No answer. "Takeshi-san?" Static and some voices in the distance but he couldn't tell who was who or what they were saying.

The boy's lower lip quibbled, "Boss! Boss are you okay?" Someone's voice crackled into the speakers, broken and cut off by interference. "Lambo…kun…we're…"

Oblivious to Lambo having a nervous breakdown outside his car, Gokudera secured handcuffs before pulling away from Haru. She glared at him with such a silent fury it would cause a weaker man to tremble, yet staring is all she could do since he bound hands behind her back with the cuffs and had stuffed a handkerchief in Haru's mouth.

"This is only temporary. We'll see what the Boss wants to do about you first." Gokudera said as he doubled back to unlock. Haru's eyes gleamed as she realized this was her chance. Although unable to escape, the woman decided to give one parting shot. When Gokudera opened the door and ducked to get out, Haru landed a kick squarely on the seat of his pants, shoving the man so he lost his balance. Gokudera kissed pavement for a moment, butt stinging from the kick.

Lambo heard the thunk then followed the string of curses to his 'mentor' with his face against asphalt. "Uh…"

"Not. A. Word or I'll…" Gokudera eased himself off the pavement, rubbing a sore cheek before turning around to stare at the woman. Haru tried to grin around her gag, but had to settle for a superior stare.

"I can see your panties with your legs out like that." Gokudera mocked to keep her from looking so smug. Predictably, the woman's eyes went wide, face heated with a blush. After a moment of horror and curling her legs in, Haru started screaming around the handkerchief and struggling.

Gokudera solved the problem by closing the door and locking it with a click of his car keys. He stood tall and straight, checked his tie in the side mirror to make sure it wasn't crooked before pinning Lambo with a glare.

"Well? What did the Boss say?"

"Um…don't know. I told Ryohei-san and he freaked out. Big Time." "Naturally, lawn head can't handle anything quietly." Lambo shook his head, "It's really bad this time though. I…think…I heard a car crash."

Lambo suddenly found empty-handed after Gokudera swiftly snatched his phone back, fingers a blur of motion as he dialed the Boss's cell. A free hand patted pants pocket for cigarette box and lighter, but didn't draw either of them out. Lambo watched his mentor pace for several minutes, re-dialing and listening closely for a verbal reply, then dialed again. This process repeated ten times before he finally got someone.

"Hello?" "Boss! Are you okay? Lambo said he heard a crash…" A heavy sigh interrupted Gokudera, "Yeah, just a minor accident. We're fine. …car isn't though. Neither is the fire hydrant. And we'll probably have to settle expenses with two other drivers. Oh wait…three drivers. One was on a moped. However, no one is seriously hurt, thank goodness."

Green eyes narrowed, Gokudera could feel the urge to choke a certain 'lawn head' rising, "Let me guess. Someone let that loud-mouthed idiot drive again?"

Tsuna changed subjects like a pro, "Didn't Lambo say something earlier about you wanting to kill him and Miura-san?"

"I did! Please Boss, talk to him, and make him see some sense! I'm too young and handsome to die!" Lambo begged, leaning over Gokudera's right side to yell into the phone.

"No! Get away, shoo" the gray-haired man growled before shoving the teenager off his shoulder. He then turned full attention back to the phone, laughing loudly and nervously, "Of course I would NEVER…" he clasped a hand over Lambo's head and squeezed the digits so the boy whimpered and tried to struggle away from fingernails digging into his scalp.

"Do anything to harm Lambo." "…uh-huh…" Tsuna replied slowly, obviously not believing his right-hand man. "And where's Miura-san? Maybe if I talk to her and smooth things over, we might be able to avoid any more trouble."

Gokudera froze for a moment, his gaze drifting to the car, which was starting to rock ever so slightly thanks to her violent struggles in the back seat. "She's…" he trailed off. On one hand, Gokudera didn't want to lie to his beloved Boss. On the other hand, he was well aware of Tsuna's policy concerning civilians.

"…you tied her up, didn't you?" Tsuna deduced. "Not exactly...handcuffs this time." Hayato muttered, feeling like a shamed child about to be scolded. Tsuna's end of the phone went quiet for a moment, making Gokudera worry his boss had hung up on him.

Then, Tsuna's voice rang in his ear again, "We've talked about this before. Above all else, protect civilians. Protect them, Gokudera. Not restrain and threaten them. We're not that kind of family."

"Yes but…"

"No 'but', Gokudera." Tsuna returned quickly, a hint of sharpness creeping into his tone. "We need to fix this…" the Boss muttered, voice trailing off as the man started to get lost in thought. Gokudera felt he had disappointed the Boss somehow. What was he to do though? He couldn't let her go, not when the woman recovered from the initial shock of being told they were members of a mafia by reaching for her phone. Most likely to call the police…so he reacted without thinking and only had time to think about his actions when Tsuna brought it to light.

"Give the phone to Lambo-kun; I need to talk to him." "Sure" he muttered, at least releasing his iron grip on the boy's head and shoved the phone to Lambo's right ear. Hands in his pockets, Gokudera wandered a few steps from the car, lighter and a cigarette from the square carton out and held between his lips. A flick of fire pressed to the tip and he inhaled, blowing out smoke while looking to a blue sky.

What a day. And it wasn't even lunch time yet, so it was far from over.

"…right. Gotcha. I'll do my best, Boss. Thank you." Lambo said behind him before powering off the phone. Gokudera didn't want to admit it to himself, but he felt snubbed at not getting to talk to Boss again. Was this part of his punishment?

"Boss says I'm in charge of dealing with Haru-san." Lambo began, a grin slowly starting to form on the smug kid's mouth. "That means you'll be my subordinate and chauffeur for a little while longer."

Correction, THIS was his punishment.

Haru could never recall feeling so angry in her entire life. No memory could compare to the rage she felt at being tussled up like a Thanksgiving turkey and gagged in the back of some car! Sure, she was trembling with nerves and wondering what was going to happen to her, but all of those feelings failed to cover up her wrath.

To make matters worse, there wasn't anything Haru could to do vent. She tried kicking at the door, but jerky motions and connecting with hard interior only served to cause her pain, plus it felt far less satisfying than seeing that man's shocked face after Haru kicked him in the butt out of the car.

Haru needed to know his name, so she could curse him. She wasn't into voodoo and black magic and stuff, oh but she'd learn. She'd learn quickly if only to send him to…

Brown eyes blinked and squinted against sunlight as a car door opened. Haru saw white spots from the sun glare before seeing black spots on a white shirt. Cow print. Lambo-kun. The boy raised his hands, palms up and fingers spread to show he didn't mean any harm.

"I'm going to come in and release you Haru-san, so…please don't kick me in the nuts again, kay?" he pleaded. 'That was an accident!' Haru mumbled around her gag, but of course nothing resembling words managed to reach his ears. Lambo hesitated outside for a moment before he gingerly crawled behind Haru on the back seat. He produced a key to the handcuffs and with one quick turn released her from the metal clasps.

In an instant Haru pushed herself up to sit up and removed the gag. Then turned to Lambo, the first words out of her mouth weren't 'thank you'.

Instead, the teen swallowed and feared for the Storm Guardian when the woman hissed out, "Where is he?"

Self-preservation knew no loyalty and Lambo was all about keeping himself happy, healthy and good looking for quite a long time, so he quickly pointed out the car door to across the street where Gokudera was back on the phone with Boss while smoking a cigarette.

"Thanks." Haru said off-handedly, still sounding mad. "No problem" Lambo replied, yet he couldn't help but fear for Gokudera's life as Haru-san exited the car and walked across the street to meet him.

"You can't be serious. Boss, this is some horrible joke, isn't it?" Gokudera asked about to ground out a barely used cig. Tsuna's response was surprisingly brisk, "No, it's not a joke, Gokudera. Lambo seems to have developed a good connection with Miura-san. We have to stay on her good side at least until I can take the time to have a talk with her. Since I'm tied up here across town, it will be Lambo's job to make sure she stays with the two of you."

"Yes, but…" Gokudera stopped himself. He was running out of excuses, the man did have a slew of complaints though. "She…she's mean, loud and a bitch."

"HA! Funny, I was about to say the exact thing about you!" a female voice interrupted. Gokudera whipped his head around, finding himself being glared at by the pissed off tourist.

"What's the big deal huh? You steal my purse. Nearly run me over with your car. Then attempt to KIDNAP me and now I'm the bitch?"

"I didn't steal anything! And you ran in front of my car! And who the hell would want to kidnap you anyway?" he returned, just as loud and vicious as the woman standing before him. Haru brought her right hand in front of Gokudera's face, closing the digits together and clamping them down, "Zip it. I want to speak with the man in charge. Now."

Gokudera's gaze narrowed, "You really don't want to. Not right now. Boss is in one of his rare bad moods." Haru huffed, "What's the worst he can do to me?"

A long pause followed her question then Gokudera smirked. Haru thought he looked a little 'too' gleeful as he taunted, "Well aside from ordering me to kill you on the spot, he could…"

"I heard that!" Tsuna shouted, causing the right hand man to wince since he still at the phone held to a right ear. "Gokudera…let me speak with her for a second and I'll explain the situation to her."

Reluctantly, he passed the phone over to Haru. "Hello?" she asked against the receiver. "Miura-san. This is Tsunayoshi; we met at the café…"

Haru snorted, "Please don't remind me. My day has been nothing but hell since…hey! What gives, let go you bastard!" the woman snapped as Gokudera grabbed her right wrist, which still felt chaffed from the handcuffs.

"Don't you dare talk to the Tenth like that, woman" Gokudera threatened.

"Gokudera, stop it. Let her go. Now." Tsuna ordered, loud enough to be heard over the cell phone. Shocked and crestfallen Gokudera's hand released her. Haru 'hmphed' then returned to the phone, "See what I've had to put up with! I should call the police…"

"Please don't, Miura-san. I know his behavior has been unacceptable today, but I beg you to give us a change to make it up to you."

Haru frowned, "Just how do you plan on making this up to me?"

"To start with, an apology from Gokudera. His rough treatment of you is inexcusable in our family." Haru was about to cut in and say an 'apology' won't fix things; however she missed her chance to say so.

"I told Lambo-kun he's in charge of being your guide for the afternoon and Gokudera will drive you where you need to go."

Haru's first impulse was to say 'No. Absolutely not'. She didn't want anything more to do with these dangerous people. Besides, it sounded to Haru like a catch was incoming. Sawada-san wanted something from her.

'They obviously don't want me to go to the police.' Haru knew. Still, she had to ask, "Say…hypothetically, I turned down your offer and went to the police…would something bad happen to me?"

Haru expected a dramatic pause, silence to intimidate her then Tsunayoshi would lower his voice and in a gravely tone – or as close as he could get- issue a 'warning'. Instead, she got a near immediate response.

"If you really want to go to the police, we won't stop you Haru-san. However, I beg you to reconsider. Gokudera did go against our code of conduct by how he treated you, he will be punished. Yet, if the police are involved he and Lambo-kun will be arrested and probably taken to the station to be questioned about our family."

Haru felt her breath catch. Her gaze wandered to Lambo-kun who was looking uncertain as he leaned against the car. Next, her gaze wandered to Gokudera as the man finished his cigarette. Did she really want to be the one to put them in prison? Well…maybe this Gokudera person could do with a cool-off period behind bars. But, Lambo-kun…he was a kid. He didn't need to go through something so traumatic.

"So I get an apology, a tour guide and a chauffeur for all my troubles." "Right, normally we'd offer you monetary compensation, but…we're kind of different. I don't like the idea of buying people off or bribing them to keep quiet."

'Wow. Color me impressed.' Haru thought. She knew it could all be a lie though. Pretty words to make sure she'd cooperate and the woman didn't really know these men well enough to completely trust them.

Also, she had one more question, "What do you get out of all of this? Aside from assurance I won't turn Gokudera and Lambo into the police, it doesn't seem to me that you've got a lot to gain."

"All I want is to protect my family, Miura-san. Gokudera can be a hot-head and Lambo-kun can be bratty handful sometimes." Haru nodded in agreement. "However, they are my people. And I want to do my best to protect them. I'm asking for your help in that respect."

Haru lowered the cell phone from her ear for a moment. The young woman bit her bottom lip, before tucking auburn strands back behind her ear. After giving Tsunayoshi's offer some thought, Haru brought the phone back to her ear.

"Sure, I accept!" she replied in a bright tone to make no one suspicious about her feelings of apprehension.

Hayato Gokudera knew he wasn't a patient man. Well aware of his temper, yet saw no reason as to why he had to quell it. After all, sometimes being passionate worked in his favor. Today…was not one of those times.

Gripping the steering wheel and gritted his teeth to a point they'd eventually turn from pearly-whites into powder, Gokudera heard the 'idiot cow' mumbling about different facts about the city. Most of those 'facts' actually fallacies and often interrupted by the boy's short attention span, since he'd ask questions about Haru-san instead as they rode in the back seat.

"Do you have a boyfriend back home, Haru-san?" he inquired. Gokudera choose that moment to glance into the rearview mirror, trying to get a good angle of her face. The right-hand man figured if she lied, he'd be able to spot some facial tic or hear something in her voice.

"Nope, I've been single for…" Haru paused, index finger pressed to her chin, "quite awhile now."

His observation yielded nothing. No telling markers of a liar or if she was trying to be deceitful. What he found even more amazing was the fact Miura-san expected them to believe a single woman took an overseas vacation to Italy by herself. She had to be lying. She had to be with someone…

Lambo slung an arm over Haru's shoulder, causing the woman to flinch and ease away from the boy's octopus-like limbs without seeming rude. "Haru-san should date me then" Lambo teased with a wide grin. "I know all the best night clubs and there are a lot of parties I get invited too."

"Those 'parties' are why you no longer have a phone." Gokudera reminded the boy. He heard Haru giggle while the boy turned red from cheeks to ears, grumbling under his breath.

At last, Gokudera spied the small museum Haru wanted to visit. He was far from pleased to be the designated driver for an idiot kid and a loud mouth woman who was nothing but trouble; however Gokudera felt a little relieved she wasn't taking them shopping.

After parking, Gokudera opened his door then Haru's side. She shot him a look of apprehension then walked away in a huff when their gazes met. Lambo chuckled and called him "Jeeves". This earned the boy a slap on the back side of his head.

"Just remember after Boss releases me from babysitting you two today, I'm going to make your life hell." Hayato growled in warning, triggering a thick yet dry swallow from Lambo.

Haru took the steps to the museum two at a time, her apprehension steadily melting away. Despite her crappy morning, she was a sucker for museums and art galleries. Haru wanted to absorb as much history, culture, and beauty as she could from Italy. Food, fashion or the chance at a love affair, none of those things really intrigued Haru as much as the exhibits held inside this building.

"Come on; quit dragging your feet, Jeeves." Haru uttered with a smirk to the two men lagging behind at the bottom of the steps to the museum entrance.

"Yes Miura-san" Gokudera grumbled sourly, hands in his pockets as he and Lambo climbed the steep polished granite stairs behind her. "Hey, how come she can call you that, but I get smacked…ow!"

Haru couldn't help but squeal as she procured the tickets for the noon tour, waiting in the lobby and tickets extended for the two men to take, only to be stunned as Lambo and Gokudera came up to the window, showed something to the ticket person and were allowed to stride right in without having to pay for a ticket.

'No way! Mafia privileges include free trips to museums!' Haru thought, slack-jawed as Gokudera and Lambo approached.

"Hey Haru-san, you have two extra tickets. How did that happen?" Lambo asked. The Japanese tourist huffed and stuffed the 'extra' into her purse, "No idea."

"Aww, you bought them for us, didn't you?" the teen pestered, circling Haru. "A-as if!" Haru blurted out, face burning from embarrassment since they had –unintentionally- embarrassed her by letting good intentions and money go to waste.

"Whatever, let's get this over with." Gokudera complained. "Well we can't, tour doesn't start until noon. We've got a few minutes still."

Green eyes rolled, "Forget the tour. I've been here a couple of times. Being with a bunch of people will only slow us down, plus the 'guides' usually don't know what the crap they're talking about, just reading off scripts." Haru snorted, "Yeah right. A brute like you can't appreciate art. I'll wait for the tour, thank you very much."

"I've been here before too, Haru-san! On a class field trip last week, we were here for opening day of the mythology art exhibit." The brunette haired woman beamed at Lambo, "You can show me around and tell me about all the exhibits then." She looked to Gokudera, "You can wait in the car, Jeeves." The man bristled in response, gritting his teeth again. He was trying to endure all her snide remarks, taunting, and glares for the sake of not upsetting her further and running to the police.

Yet, Hayato knew he was a man with a short temper and thin patience. The fuse started to grow shorter and shorter, so how much longer could he last taking such open taunting and lack of respect?

"And here we have a painting of…another naked…fat lady. Seriously, did people back then find obesity attractive or something?"

Haru frowned. She hadn't really been expecting a riveting and informative 'tour' with Lambo-kun, but they had been walking around the museum for only ten minutes and she seemed to be more informed about the pieces on display than her 'guide'.

"Actually, that's Aphrodite. She was…"

"The Goddess of Love and Beauty, Romans called her Venus. Had a lot of lovers. Gave birth to dozens of ilegit kids while her blacksmith husband slaved away…what?"

Haru's glare remained fixed on Gokudera, "No one likes a show-off." Next, she turned to Lambo, "A full-figured woman was actually a thing of beauty back in the Renaissance era, Lambo-kun."

"Full figured. Fat. You say potato I say…oh hey…" the dark-haired boy wandered to a sculpture of two lovers embracing. Although 'lovers' was a loose term since one was a small goat-man and the other a limber and lean nymph bending over to feed grapes to the satyr.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. That form. Curves without looking chubby, a true thing of beauty!" Lambo exclaimed, smitten by the marble nymph. He was about to get closer until a museum guard loudly cleared his throat. The man tipped his hat, adjusted the security badge to make it visible. "Easy there junior. This lady's spoken for. Plus you'd need a chisel and hammer to get her out of here…oh and I hope you don't mind spending several years in jail for theft of priceless art."

"Ah just my luck…jail bait. And not the good kind either." Lambo observed bitterly, taking a few steps back. Haru blanched, finding so many things wrong with that statement.

"Where on earth…who RAISED this kid? Wolves?" she gaped. "Teenage boys. For the most part." Gokudera said with a straight face. "Oh. Guess I wasn't too far off the mark then" the woman said lightly.

"Hey! We did our best! The kid was already screwed up when he landed on the doorstep to the Tenth's house." Gokudera defended. "Where were his parents?" Haru inquired, hands on her hips. The right-hand man floundered for a moment, "It's complicated."

"That's it?" she pressed. "Yes. Look, we're only showing you around the city because Boss has my hands tied. After today, you'll never see us again. So, there's no sense in giving you our life stories."

With that, he walked on ahead of Haru, standing in front of an abstract painting. The picture consisted of spatters red, yellow, and dark brown colors in various circles then jutting into sharp angles to form a grotesque creature framed and labeled 'The Minotaur'.

"Oh look, you actually made it into their gallery." Gokudera said with a smirk. "Ha, you're a genius. How old are you anyway, twelve?" Haru muttered dryly before skulking after Lambo, even if the boy was crude at least he didn't insult people for his own amusement.

"And as our tour draws to a close, I present to you something I like to call 'Getting it On'."

Haru didn't even try to hide her disappointment anymore. She'll have to come back to this museum without these two, just to get a better experience. "You mean 'Cupid and Psyche'." Haru stated. Lambo shrugged, "Yeah sure that too. They're obviously in a bedroom and mostly naked." He grinned cheekily, hands tucked behind curly hair, "No guessing as to what was gonna happen."

"Lambo-kun, why don't you run on ahead to the gift shop?" Haru suggested sweetly. "Why? It's not like I've got money, plus all of that stuff is too expensive."

"Oh darn, you're right. But, I saw a cute girl at the cash register." Predictably, the youngest Guardian took off to the store. "Why do I feel bad sending him to that poor unsuspecting girl?" Haru asked herself. Either way, Haru wanted some time alone to reflect on the painting, sans Lambo's commentary.

Gokudera on the other hand wasn't easy to ditch. He stood beside Haru as she admired the painting of a woman holding a candle light to a fair and blond haired man sleeping on a bed.

"Beautiful and such a lovely story behind it…" Haru began, yet was interrupted by a groan. "Are you really that stupid?"

Haru turned her head to stare at the man who dare mock, "I'm not stupid! I know my mythology! Cupid fell in love with Psyche, a mortal woman. And he defied his Goddess mother to bring her into his home to be his wife. It's a beautiful story."

"You skipped over the part of him blackmailing her family, molesting her in the dark and when the jig was up he abandoned Psyche and cried to his mother like a wimp."

Haru couldn't help but take it personally, "He DID come back though! Just because someone leaves after an argument, doesn't make them a bad person."

"Okay, you're missing the whole point" Gokudera stated sharply, "He lied to her and kept Psyche from her family. She was wholly dependent on Cupid without ever seeing his face. And when she decided to do something about it, he took off. That's classic Stockholm syndrome. If he had been an honest man and upfront with his intentions, they might have willingly started a relationship rather than it being one-sided."

"No, now you're getting things all wrong." Haru shot in return, "Cupid couldn't come out to her and her family and say 'hey I'm a demi-god, let me have your daughter.' He was the son of Aphrodite, plus a looker. So naturally, he was scared she'd love him for all the wrong reasons."

"And he loved her because she was a beautiful mortal. That's it. He didn't know anything else about Psyche." Gokudera retorted. A gray eyebrow rose high, "I spy a double standard flaw in your point. What do you have to say now?" Haru opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Gokudera's argument.

"Would you still say 'it's a beautiful story' if some disgusting freak did that to some girl today?"

He inched in, leaning over Haru a little and blocking her view of the romanticized painting, "If you were in Psyche's situation, stolen away from your family and having to sleep with a stranger in complete darkness every night and he refused to let you out or see the people you loved…would you fall for him?"

Haru found herself looking into his green eyes. He seemed so bitter and bothered by the subjects of the painting. 'No. It's not the painting that bugs Gokudera. It's my beliefs.' Haru realized. "I…if I found him to be a good person…"

Hand in the pockets of dark slacks, Gokudera couldn't resist goading; after all he was winning this argument hands down. "Listen to yourself. Do you have a clue how pathetic that sounds? You'd really take up with a man who…"

"Shut up!" Haru blurted out, her anger boiling over. Who was he to mock her anyway? Gokudera was just some underling for a mafia boss, so his opinion didn't matter.

She turned away both from the man and the unfinished question, "That's enough. The tour is over so we might as well get something to eat."

Lambo was aware he wasn't very bright. What with people always scolding him and his failing marks on tests, how could he ignore it?

Yet, even he could pick up the poisonous atmosphere enveloping Haru-san and Gokudera-nii as they left the museum and walked to the nearest café. Lambo looked to the woman who was picking at her salad greens rather than actually eating anything. Gokudera-nii hadn't ordered anything at all; instead he unfolded a newspaper to read and drank coffee.

. Haru-san shot the gray-haired man a dirty look once in awhile, but didn't say anything. To Lambo, she looked deflated, like someone who had been beaten down in a fight minus the bruises and marks.

"So…where are we going after lunch, Haru-san?" Lambo asked, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Well, I have an appointment with my bank in another twenty minutes. We'll have to leave quickly to make it there in time." Gokudera perked up. 'A bank…hm.' He still thought the woman's motives and her happenstance appearance at the same café as the Boss were suspicious enough to warrant a background check.

'A bank account number, even if it's only a few digits, in Spanner's hands could get us some results.' Hayato thought, pulling the paper back slightly he observed her. Outwardly, she seemed normal. Brunette hair cut and styled short coupled with brown-colored doe eyes, skin retaining traces of a summer sun tan. While not strikingly gorgeous, Gokudera could see the appeal in a second-glance way. Also, she smiled and laughed a lot around Lambo-kun, even if the kid did make her uncomfortable sometimes. 'She's okay…I guess.' Hayato relented.

Gleaning what he picked up from conversations Haru and Lambo had on their way to the museum, she spent some time on an island off Italy's east cost. Presently, the conversation turned back to Haru's 'status' and why she was in Italy, courtesy of Lambo struggling to stop from being suffocated by silent tension.

"I've done the tourist stint already. I've seen most of the major cities, landmarks, museums and galleries. Right now my aim is to settle down here for a year or so."

"Why?" Gokudera asked, beating Lambo to the punch while folding the newspaper. No point using it as a shield if he was going to converse with her. Haru pointedly ignored him.

"What about Lambo-kun? You're not worried about missing school?"

Lambo smiled, but the grin faded since he noticed his mentor was looking rather pissed off Haru dodged his question. "N-not really, I do okay."

"That's not what your grades say." Gokudera cut in. Haru forced a smile and continued to build an invisible wall towards the mafia crony.

"How about a girlfriend…or are you one of those player types who likes to break a girl's heart?" Before Lambo could answer, Haru went on, "That's not a good way to be, Lambo-kun. Karma will come back at you and do something terrible if you needlessly break someone's heart."

"Like what?"

"Your manhood will shrink to the size of a baby carrot." Gokudera said without prompting before rising up from the table. "Where are you going?" Haru asked. "To the toilet, you plan on following me?"

She gawked, sputtering out something not even close to words before blasting, "Of course not!"

"Then stop being nosy." As Gokudera pushed on the door to the men's room, he heard Lambo high and nervous laughter, his voice cracking a little as he asked Haru-san if 'Karma really does shrink penises'.

"That's really not something you should be talking about in public, Lambo-kun." Haru corrected.

Alone in the restroom, Gokudera took out his phone and sent a text to Spanner. Although the man was a genius when it came to technology, the blond-haired man never had his phone on and avoided conversing directly to people if he could help it. Or maybe it was because Spanner was so good with technology; he preferred not to mess with human beings.

Once the message was sent, Gokudera caught sight of himself in the mirror. The opposite twin looked surly. 'Well, can you blame me?' Hayato questioned. He had been snubbed by the Boss and now stuck entertaining a bitchy tourist who could go running to the police at the drop of a hat. The fact Lambo had been put in job of the whole operation left a bitter taste in his mouth. It felt like Boss didn't trust him to handle something as simple as being 'nice' to a stupid woman.

'I just have to put up with it a little longer.' Gokudera coached himself as he took a moment to fix his black neck tie and adjust a cufflink to a red dress shirt before leaving the restroom.

By the time he returned, Lambo was waiting by the door and motioned for Gokudera to follow him. A glance proved Haru wasn't in sight. For a moment, the Storm Guardian felt his gut clench. 'Idiot, he had better have not let her get away' he thought while briskly walking through the cramped café.

"Where is she?"

"Haru-san went to the rest room after paying the bill. She should be out in a minute, but it will probably be more like ten since girls take so long." Lambo observed. Gokudera resisted the urge to roll his eyes and mutter about jerky kids who think they know everything about women.

As they waited, Lambo suddenly said, "I rather like Haru-san."

"You like anything with breasts." A pause… "Okay, you've got me there." Hands in the pockets of his khaki colored pants, a subtle copy gesture of Gokudera's stance, Lambo cleared his throat.

"As leader of the operation, I think this will go much better if Gokudera-nii tried being nicer to Haru-san." "And I think you'd straighten up and act right if I had Shamal cut off your balls. We can't all get what we want out of life." Hayato replied.

Lambo whimpered and inched away from the other man, hands resting at his belt buckle as if to protect what was below it. Haru emerged, tucking her cell phone away, thus drawing Gokudera's attention to something he perceived as 'suspicious'.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked after stepping down to the sidewalk. "Whenever you are Haru-san." Lambo returned, offering his arm and trying to be smooth. Haru's smile twitched and she 'politely' declined the offer. "No thanks, I can walk by myself, Lambo-kun."

"I…" a swish of a nail file ran across a ruby-colored manicure. "Hate…" pink-painted lips pursed as she blew across a cuticle tip to blow dust off. "My job" the bank teller finished.

It wasn't even her 'real' job, just some temp cover until her Boss gave the all clear. M.M thought she'd get a kick out of working around money, only to be disappointed when it occurred to her: She'd be giving 'other' people money rather than stuffing bills into a purse.

Banks tend to frown upon people skimming a couple of bills every now and again. And she needed to fly low under the radar while everyone else got to run around and to the 'cool' stuff. M.M couldn't even take comfort in tormenting the only person more miserable than her.

'Stupid bitch, following Mukuro-sama around like some starving stray cat' the crimson haired woman snarled under her breath, nearly snapping her nail file in half, only to quickly tuck it away as customers entered.

"Why do YOU have my lease agreement?" "I forgot to put it back in your purse." The angry voice came with a face, M.M sneered at how red the woman's cheeks were. Clearly exasperated by the man following her… "Oh shit…" M.M said under her breath as she easily recognized the two men from photographs.

'Not good.' M.M thought, quickly sending a text to Chikusa with the cell phone tucked underneath her desk.

Lambo sighed heavily as he reluctantly trudged behind Gokudera-nii and Haru-san who were fighting. Again. It all started when the Storm Guardian produced a document from his pocket which belonging to Haru-san. Yet, he figured by now if they were breathing, they were fighting.

"You're not going in there with me; now give me back my papers." Haru-san hissed like an angry cat, trying to reach up and snatch her lease document back. However, Gokudera taunted by holding pages inches out of her reach. Lambo felt a little embarrassed to be seen with them, 'Who's really the adult here?' he wondered.

Haru jumped, managing to snatch her papers back. She celebrated by sticking a tongue out at the sour man before putting on her best 'grown up' façade and turned towards an office.

"Hey, Gokudera-nii…" Lambo started, tugging on the man's right shirt sleeve, "What do you think of that teller over there? The red-head…"

"Get off." Hayato spat out, not in the mood to entertain yet another one of Lambo's instant-crushes. "But…"

"Look, if it will keep you out of my hair, fine. Go flirt with her, just don't come crying to me if you get slapped again" the twenty-five year old gritted out. Honestly, Gokudera didn't think he was quite so hung up on the opposite sex as Lambo was at this age.

Speaking of women, he had to stalk one, leaving Lambo to his own devices.

M.M thought the danger had passed when the Storm Guardian disappeared, yet tensed again as the youngest one came up to her desk. Hands resting on her desk, the teenager leaned over, flashing a smug smile.

"Hi. I couldn't help but notice you noticing me looking at you."

"Huh?" M.M uttered.

The bank teller blinked and did a quick scan of her appointment book. She had been expecting only one visit right after lunch time. A 'Haru Miura' wanted to set up an automatic deduction from her account for said rent payments.

Yet, the elderly woman spotted two people sitting in chairs in front of her. The subtle glances of them sizing each other up didn't go unnoticed. And it wouldn't be the first time she had a young couple come in who spontaneously decided 'marriage' wasn't for them, but still wanted to live together or share accounts.

So, trying to be open minded; the white-haired lady smiled, "Miss Miura, nice to meet you in person" she began in Italian. "Ah, yes. Thank you. Sorry that I'm a little late." Then, she abruptly switched to another langague while looking at the gentleman, "Someone got lost and wouldn't take directions."

"I've lived in this town for years, woman. I know my way around." Hayato returned in Japanese, leaving the office lady very confused since they were talking so quickly in a language she didn't understand. Haru scoffed, "Lambo had to tell you how to get here."

"Uh Miss Miura, if you'd please produce the documents…" Before the woman could make a move though, the gray-haired young man snatched the papers and passed them over.

"Ah, so you'll be co-signing with her on this lease then?"

"What? No! This is all hers." The bank teller smiled, "I see. Rather gutsy of you, letting her have control over the property."

Gokudera blinked, a little confused, "Well…it's her house. I really have no say as to whether she rents it or not."

"You haven't even seen the place." Haru butted in. Gokudera volleyed back with, "I don't need to."

Ah. She was starting to get the picture now. Apparently 'Haru' jumped the gun and agreed to rent the house without telling her boyfriend first. She tried to diffuse the tension, they could argue after leaving her offices. So long as the agreement was up held, it mattered little to her.

Still, some smooth talking would be required at this point. "I for one think it's very sweet, you two getting your first place together."

Turns out, she had said the worst possible phrase in this situation. The young woman's jaw looked unhinged what with the open gape and to her left the man sputtered and actually turned red.

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the room as both tried to say at the same time, "As if I'd live with this person!"

Notes: Again, not a lot going on, but I promise there's more to come and I'll actually get around to introducing more characters and plot. Thank you for reading.


	4. Suspicion and Senseless Credit Fraud

I'm With the Mafia

Notes: Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. The storyline will start to pick up here, but I'll do my best not to lose sight of the Gokudera and Haru moments either. Please read and enjoy.

Chapter Four:

Suspicion and Senseless Credit Fraud

"Are you sure it's a good idea to meet with her, Sawada?" Ryohei asked, looking a touch agitated as they were seated at yet another café. After the car crash, it was decided Tsuna should return to the Vongola manor as soon as possible to keep him out of danger. However, a single phone call quickly changed those plans.

Leaning back in his chair, the young man shrugged, "Probably not. We're still not sure of her loyalties." Tsuna admitted. Their table fell silent for a moment.

"At least Yamamoto isn't here" the mafia boss remarked. Ryohei's eyebrows went up at that statement. "You don't think he would turn on us, do you?"

Tsuna's response was swift to deny he doubted Takeshi's loyalty. "No! No of course not. It's just…he's always been on her side. I mean, most of the time he turns out to be right, but we need to be objective about how we deal with her."

As if the mere mention of the woman brought her to appear, a waiter guided the third person of the lunch party.

Both men stood up and Tsuna stiffly offered his hand, which she didn't accept. Ryohei frowned at the snub, but he could tell the situation was very delicate and kept his mouth shut for the moment.

The white-to-beige sundress looked out of place when coupled with a garish silver skull pendant and black lace choker around her neck, so did the eye patch over the right side of the woman's face. Still, the men took comfort in knowing these markers confirmed the woman in front of them was Chrome Dokuro.

"I'm sorry Boss, but I can't stay for very long or I'll be missed" she said right off the bat. Ryohei wondered if she still could get away with calling Sawada 'boss', since the woman had been a free agent for the last three years.

"It's alright Chrome." Tsuna began with a smile, in an attempt to get her to open up a bit more, "Yamamoto said you contacted him and wanted to trade information with the Vongola family?"

Her gaze wandered away, looking at something beyond Tsuna and Ryohei then came back to them. "Chrome?" Tsuna repeated. A shake of her head followed, "It's nothing," Chrome muttered, yet couldn't deny how uncomfortable she looked.

"Actually, this…isn't an exchange of information, Boss. I came to warn you." With that being said, Chrome fished out a broken silver pocket watch. The glass face cracked, minute and hour hands stuck at the twelfth Roman numeral. She reached across the table to hand it to Tsuna, chain slipping from Chrome's hand.

"Do you remember what this means, Boss? And if not the pocket watch…does the name Mochida ring any bells?"

Chrome could just from a glance to Tsuna and Ryohei that she had said enough. Pushing away from the table, the young woman got up to stand, only to pause in her departure when a bandaged hand rested on the folders Chrome intended to leave behind.

"Is Kyoko safe?" the elder brother asked. Chrome closed her eye, "Last accounts I have of Nana-san, Kyoko and Hana's whereabouts, they are safe."

"But…" Tsuna uttered, sensing the hesitation in Chrome's voice. She took a glass of water and swallowed a shallow gulp before continuing.

"I'm not sure for how much longer." A violet colored eye fixed on Tsuna, "He knows your family and friends live in Namimori, Boss. I…can only do so much from my end without being discovered. The folders contain information I gathered about his movements, both in Italy and Japan. You'll need to act quickly though or…"

Chrome abruptly stopped talking when Ryohei stood up to look her in the eye.

"Nii-san, don't start something." Tsuna began, but his warning tone was ignored because Ryohei was quick to say what had been on his mind.

"How are we supposed to believe you?" he accused. "First the Vongola house was attacked and now Kyoko and Sawada's family is endangered! They live all the way in Namimori, yet he's going that far to threaten them! None of this would be happening if he hadn't broken out of Vendicare! So, I want to ask you one thing. Did you help him escape, Chrome?"

The young woman twisted a tassel end to the table cloth, "I would never do anything to directly harm the Vongola family."

"We can't take your word anymore! Not when it means Kyoko and our families are in danger and we can't reach them!" Ryohei countered, volume of his voice steadily rising.

"That's enough, nii-san." Tsuna interrupted. For a moment Ryohei stared at him in disbelief. Next, Tsuna looked to Chrome, "It's alright. You don't have to tell us right away, Chrome. I'll listen to what you have to say when the time comes."

Reluctantly, the young woman released her life-line grip from the table and bowed to the mafia boss before turning to leave.

Ryohei sat back down, a heavy sigh escaping as hands covered his face. After a moment, the boxer lowered his limbs then looked to Tsuna. "Why did you let her go before we got an answer?" he asked. Tsuna didn't reply right away, which turned out to be a mistake. Hands slammed down on the table, rattling glasses and silverware and causing more than a few patrons to look their way. Rarely did Ryohei lose his temper, but the times he did it concerned Kyoko, so Tsuna could all but predict what the white-haired boxer would say next.

"Damnit! If you even care about my sister at all Sawada, you ought to be extremely pissed too!" he blurted out.

Tsuna's hand clenched around the pocket watch again, "Believe me nii-san, I am just as angry as you are." Crunch of glass was heard as the remaining shards from the pocket watch fell to the café floor. "However, you're being angry at the wrong person if you direct it at Chrome."

"Wow." Haru breathed after stepping out of the backseat of Gokudera's car. Just a few meters in front of the young woman stood her dream home. Everything about it, from the rugged and weather worn exterior, the garden which was half cultivated half wild flowers, even the little water pump at the foot of the hill…everything screamed Haru Miura.

This was her place.

"Well?" Haru asked while turning on her heel and beaming, "What do you think? Beautiful, isn't it?"

Silence greeted her opening. Reluctantly, Lambo filled in the gap, "It's nice, I guess. Kind of small though."

Haru shrugged, "Well since it's just me living here, I think it's perfect." Her gaze turned to Gokudera, who was fiddling with his cell phone buttons to check messages. After Haru stared at him for nearly a minute, he finally got the hint and looked up.

"What's with that stupid look on your face?" Gokudera groused. Haru didn't so much as twitch or let her smile fall, instead she gestured to the house and grounds.

"Oh…what a dump, you should get your deposit back." Haru tried not to let his words get to her. After all, what did a mafia flunky know about houses anyway?

Head held high, the young woman all but marched up the cobblestone steps jutting out of the hillside, Lambo and Gokudera following close behind. Once she reached the top, Haru was rewarded with the sight of her luggage from the hotel sitting at the door.

"Yes! Thank you hotel currier service! You really saved me a trip." Haru chirped. After making a mental note to leave a generous tip once she went back tomorrow to finish the check out process, Haru fished out her house key and unlocked the front door.

"Lambo-kun, do you mind helping me bring the bags inside?" The teen shrugged, "Sure why not." Behind him, Gokudera rolled his eyes in disgust. 'Leave it to him to do anything a woman tells him to do' he thought irritably.

Upon stepping inside the house, Tsuna's right hand man had to admit the place wasn't all that terrible. No visible holes in the wall or gaps in the ceiling and the bottom floor looked clean. Still, he couldn't resist goading the young woman further, "I bet it has rats."

Haru glowered, but kept her lips sealed. Hayato didn't miss the scathing looks Haru shot him as she and Lambo climbed stairs to her loft bedroom. Left on the bottom floor, Gokudera turned his gaze to the remaining suit cases: ripe for the riffling.

Zippers flew across interlocking teeth; clothing shoved aside as he looked for documents, burn phones or anything to prove she was just more than a simple tourist.

"You wouldn't know it from outside, but this is a really nice place Haru-san." Lambo's voice came first, followed closely by footsteps. Gokudera quickly closed the bags before being discovered. All in all, he was thoroughly disappointed in finding nothing of interest. Well nothing if Gokudera didn't take into account that Haru had a very bizarre collection of printed panties.

The brunette haired woman appeared and noticed nothing amiss with her luggage, which was just as well for Gokudera since he for one had enough of Haru bitching at him.

"So…" she sat down on the edge of an arm chair, "now what?"

Lambo rubbed his right ear, "Dunno. Boss said he wanted to talk with you, but…" green eyes turned to the older man. In response Gokudera held up his cell phone, "No calls yet. I could try texting him or Lawn Head, but not sure if you've got cell tower reception this far out."

At that moment his cell rang.

Chrome walked through an open doorway, a nod given to a blond haired man who had unbolted it for her. Drops of water from above splashed into little puddles on a stone covered path.

"Where the hell have you been?" the man asked gruffly while shaking a flashlight until he got the batteries to work. A beam of light jutted out in front of them, showing the path of an underground tunnel to be clear of obstacles.

"Around town" Chrome responded calmly. Ken snorted, "Yeah? Doing what? I'd understand if you were M.M and hitting up retail stores like it was your goddamn right, but…hey! Hey! Don't just walk away!"

Ignoring the order, Chrome kept walking until she came to another metal door. Once opened, the young woman stood in a large circular room. It was decorated with worn out furniture, torn wine colored drapes and other trappings that were once luxuries but now broken and tarnished beyond repair.

Out of all the dilapidated and mold-smelling sofas and chairs, Chrome found him sitting in the one which closely resembled a throne. The brass paint coating had spots of peeling and the plush crimson cushion was separating from the seams, yet he still sat there as if it were brand new and gilded in gold.

"Welcome back Nagi. Did you enjoy your little jaunt outside?" he asked. The young woman nodded before lowering her purse. Across the room, M.M winced while pulling off her designer shoes.

"Ouch, ouch ouch. What I wouldn't give for a warm salt bath for my poor toes" she whimpered while rubbing circulation back into her feet.

Seated across from her, a man wearing spectacles spoke up. "How annoying… If you wore more practical shoes to work, there wouldn't be such problems."

The red haired woman huffed, "Shows what you know! I have an image to project. I can't just wear thrift store clothing and cheap gothic jewelry." Her gaze drifted to Chrome, making no effort to hide the animosity.

Predictably, the other woman bit her bottom lip and plucked at the hem of her dress. "Besides, I am proud to wear anything Mukuro gives me" M.M said snidely, not even attempting to hide her gloating.

The man in question chuckled, "You don't say," he mused while first looking to M.M then to Chrome. The latter looked up, only to blush then glance away shyly like an insecure teenager.

Another chuckle came from Mukuro before he extended his right hand. Quickly, Chrome closed the distance between them, climbing up the short three steps and gratefully slipped into her master's arms.

Gloved fingers tenderly ran through the woman's indigo hair. "It's alright Nagi, you are still my sweet precious one" he murmured.

Chrome shivered both at his touch along the straps of her dress and the heat from M.M's stare. Rather than turning to gloat, Chrome simply rested her head on Mukuro's shoulder.

"Did you do what I ask?"

"Yes Mukuro-sama," Chrome answered meekly. "Good, good" the Italian praised. When she looked up at him, Chrome gently pulled back indigo hair from his right eye. The crimson color and odd pupil shape stared back at her.

"I wonder what Tsuna will do, now that he knows our reach isn't limited to Italy alone?" Mukuro asked.

Chrome shrugged while easing back into Mukuro's arms, "He didn't seem to be as concerned as the Sun Guardian."

"You don't say." Mukuro began, slouching on his throne, chin propped up on a right fist, "Is he over-confidant? Or indifferent about my return? What do you say, Chrome?"

"He's very confident, I suppose" the woman considered, "He did beat you once before."

A smirk twitched along the man's lips, "Ah, but I also had to contend with the Skylark last time. He was far from easy. Speaking of which…"

He didn't need to go on. Chrome understood her master's request. "He'll be taken care of, Mukuro-sama." she said, slender fingers touching the skull pendant on her necklace.

Haru sighed while watching through the window as Gokudera paced outside, phone to his ear. Granted, they had no reason to trust her- and the same went for her to the mafia family- however Haru still felt rotten for being left out of the loop.

After replacing the curtain, she turned to Lambo and asked, "If Tsunayoshi wants to talk to me that badly, why not do so over the phone?"

Lambo shrugged, "I guess it's just easier if you're on our turf or at least neutral territory. Kind of dicey with phone conversations though, since we never know when someone's listening in."

Haru bit her bottom lip, "But meeting out in the open is very dangerous too," she said while thinking back to the café incident that morning.

"That's why we can't risk you going to police or drawing unwanted attention to us, Haru-san."

"Is this where I'm supposed to feel guilty and apologize for yelling at you two?" Haru grumbled, "Because it's not happening."

Lambo smiled, "Ah, I thought my argument was pretty good for it."

Her reply was a pouting-frown, then it occurred to Haru for a change of subject.

"Gokudera mentioned you were pretty much raised by teenage boys?"

"Kind of" Lambo began though seeming to be distracted with picking dirt from underneath his fingernails. "Mama-Sawada raised me, but Boss, Gokudera and Yamamoto were always beside me. So yeah you could say they helped too." he glanced up to the ceiling for a moment.

"I think…I started living at Boss's house when I was five and didn't move back to Italy until I turned thirteen."

Wide-eyed, Haru couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for Lambo to grow up in a foreign country and be raised by people who weren't his blood relatives.

Yet, it also occurred to her the boy had to have gone over seas some how, thus more questions about his parents and how he came to join the Vongola mafia cropped up.

Before Haru could voice new inquiries, the front door opened and Gokudera looked inside.

"Time to head out Lambo, Boss said something important has cropped up and we're needed back at the manor."

"Ah, but what about Haru-san…"

"She's on her own for now" the silver-haired man stated bluntly.

Haru replied quickly with, "Fine by me. I can get a lot of unpacking accomplished without you underfoot" she said with a glare directed at Gokudera.

The man snarled in response, only to turn away and pretend to forget she even existed. Haru followed the two down to the bottom of the hill only to feel very awkward.

What was she supposed to say? 'Thanks for attempting to hold me hostage and then make up for it with a museum tour and lunch?' didn't quite roll off the tongue. Nor did being coarse and hostile to them make any sense.

"Hey, Haru-san" Lambo asked as he doubled back from the car, "Is it okay if I come by and visit you sometime?"

Caught off guard by his sudden request, Haru found herself saying, "Sure…"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gokudera warned. Just to spite him, Haru forced a sweet smile and rephrased her reply to Lambo.

"Of course you can, Lambo-kun. You're always welcome to come by and visit. …he's not though."

"Why would I want to visit you anyway? And I'm saying this for your own good. You are going to regret inviting him anywhere." Gokudera shot back. Haru was quick to return fire, "Oh please. Lambo-kun is harmless…" but stopped short when Lambo suddenly leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Stunned for a moment, Haru stared dumbly at the teenager who grinned like the devil.

"Thanks Haru-san, see ya some other time" he said with a casual wave then turned to get into the back seat of Gokudera's car.

"Uh huh harmless you say." Gokudera drawled. Haru sputtered, face turning a deep shade of red, "W-wait Lambo-kun, don't misunderstand…" her path to the open door was blocked by Gokudera. Never had she seen a man looking so smug.

"I suppose this is where I should say 'it was a pleasure', but it wasn't. So for now I'll just say 'good riddance'."

Haru gritted her teeth and came within an inch of shoving the mafia crony. She might have gone with the impulse; or at least shouted at him some more, had Haru not missed the opportunity after he closed the door and put the car in reverse.

Still fuming, the young woman marched up the steps to her house and slammed the door closed behind her. Feeling the lingering 'burn' of intense blushing Haru pressed hands to her cheeks and rubbed in effort to get rid of the red-hue.

"What a pig-headed jerk. Who says that to a woman?" she complained to an empty room. After a momentary sulk, Haru decided to put everything behind her by getting to work. Carrying up the last three suit cases upstairs, Haru was about to unzip and unload the contents only to stop as her cell phone went off.

Recognizing the number as her parent's house, she quickly turned on the device, "Hello, Haru here. What's up Mom?"

Silence greeted her at first, then a woman's voice, "A house? Haru…seriously, a house?"

"Oh uh…daddy didn't tell you I was renting a place did he?" Haru replied with a nervous laugh as her stomach sank.

"No. He didn't" her mother replied through gritted teeth. "Any other future purchases I need to know about? What's next, a yacht?"

"Hmm…well eventually I'll need a car to get back and forth since the rental property is so far out in the countryside. …hello? Mom, are you still there?" Haru said, blinking owlishly as she heard a dial tone.

Spanner didn't like it when people dropped by his office unannounced. In fact, he really didn't care much for 'people' in general because the mechanic/tech head felt if Shounen Jump and other necessities of life could be created by robots, then the world would be much better off.

However, he had no choice but to open up for Gokudera, because he didn't want yet another hole shot in his wall from an irate mafia member's handgun.

Flipping the face-plate of his wielding gear, the blond haired man asked, "What is it this time?"

The man standing in the doorway, slouched posture and hands in his pants pocket stared back at him- probably jealous of the homemade lollipop, Spanner though- then shook his head.

"Isn't that the same orange jumper from last time?" Lambo asked when he ducked inside the laboratory. Spanner ignored the kid pointing out his limited wardrobe and took the documents from Gokudera without a word.

After a glance, the blond mechanic had a few questions. "Haru Miura? A foreign agent?" he asked while flipping through credit card numbers hand written by Gokudera. "This is a lot of information you've got here, enough to do your own search with a little internet know-how."

"Maybe," Hayato conceded, "But you're the only one who can hack into various date bases. Passports and stuff and find out if she's legit."

"Right," Spanner said before playing the documents a top a stack of disorganized papers.

"Results today might be nice, Spanner." Gokudera said tersely.

"No can do" the other man replied before taking the lollipop from his mouth and gestured to blue prints tacked on the four walls. "Working on a new Mosca model, but I'll get around to it eventually."

Just as Gokudera started to wonder if he attracted lazy and incompetent people, Lambo spoke up.

"Oh, before I forget Spanner." He reached into the breast pocket of his cow-spotted shirt, pulling out a business card.

"Run a check on this woman please. She was working at a bank Gokudera-nii and I stopped at."

"Woman? …you mean that red-head?" Lambo nodded, "Well yeah, she looked familiar so…owwww! What did I do?"

Gokudera lowered his right hand, "You're not supposed to use Spanner for something stupid like finding out information about your next girlfriend. Idiot!" he hissed, fed up with having to put with the hormone addled teenager.

"No, it's not that! She looked like that lady Boss told us about at the meeting last week. Red hair. Green eyes. Her clothes were different, but the hair style and color was exactly the same, not to mention her face looked very familiar…"

Wanting them out of his lab as soon as possible, Spanner took it upon himself to settle their dispute before it got ugly.

"A quick name check should be enough" he muttered while punching in the information on the card into his main desktop then scanned the picture to run as much information as possible. A hit popped up almost instanaiously, the name flagged as a fraud as it was ran against the picture on the business card. The picture matched with a list of wanted mafia criminals.

"M.M…what an odd name." Spanner muttered. Gokudera was floored; he looked to Lambo who seemed apprehensive and scooted away to avoid another smack to the back of his head.

"I hate to say this Lambo, but you actually did something right this time."

The boy blinked, utterly bemused to hear praise from his worst critic, "R-really? You mean it?" he asked, staring to sound excited.

Lambo's hopeful expression pissed off the Storm Guardian off so he scoffed, "Yeah well…you got lucky this time. Don't expect it to happen again."

Notes: Gah, I feel like I failed in terms of developing Gokudera and Haru in terms of this chapter, but I'm working on it folks so just be a little more patient with me.


	5. Catch Me If You Can

I'm With the Mafia

Notes: Thank you everyone for the reviews. It has come to my attention that I need to pick up the pace with GokuHaru –coughSunnycough. So, I'll strive for a balance of the two in this chapter between action-y plot, other characters and of course the 'stars' of this fic.

Chapter Five:

Catch Me If You Can

After enduring a chewing-out session from her mother over the phone, Haru put off unpacking to take a bath. Being a firm believer in the cleansing properties of hot water and a liberal dose of foaming bubbles, Haru wrapped a towel around brunette hair before sinking into the tub.

Eyes closed, Haru mulled over the conversation. Her mother interjected disappointment and scolding in between asking how her daughter was faring overseas. Haru wanted to tell her about the day she had experienced, yet couldn't.

A right index finger popped a cluster of bubbles, "Hey…Momma. You'll never believe it, but I hung out with two guys from an Italian mafia today. Yeah. Were they dangerous?" Lips pursed for a moment before Haru continued talking to herself, swishing warm water with her fingers.

"Well kind of. I had to be dragged down to the floor to miss being shot at. Oh and one of the mafia guys nearly ran me over with his car…went through my purse…acted like a complete jerk."

Craning her neck up, she stared at the ceiling, "Momma…no. Of course I don't like him. He's terrible. Has a surly personality. Always grumbling and in a sour mood…he hits a teenage boy whenever he felt like it and called me an 'idiot' or 'crazy'."

Closing her eyes, Haru recalled her first impression of him, at the café. And the few times he wasn't grumbling nor had a cigarette between his lips. His hair was an unusual shade of pale blond. For all his harsh looks and sneering scowls, Haru couldn't help but notice Gokudera had delicate facial features without looking too feminine. And those eyes, an intense sea-glass green color.

"Maybe it's been too long since I've been noticed someone of the opposite sex, but…"

She sank deeper into the tub, bubbles up to her nose until they burst with a light exhale. "I thought he was very handsome."

Raising a right arm up, Haru covered her eyes as a bitter laugh escaped, "This is bad. Really bad, because it hasn't even been two hours and I can't get him off my mind…I'm sure he'll be quick to forget about me though."

A violent splash rose up like a tidal wave as Haru attacked bubbles, spattering suds against the tub lip and bathroom tile.

"Well forget him then! With all those cancer sticks he smoked just today, probably be dead before he reaches fifty."

She backtracked to the café again. Gokudera had been one of the guys encircling her and Tsuna as the building was pelted with bullets. No concern for his own safety whatsoever.

"…if he even lives to see thirty"

Having run out of parts needed to complete his latest Mosca model, Spanner found himself staring at the stack of papers. People often sought him for his expertise as an inventor and computer genius, so it wasn't uncommon for him to have contracts with other families besides Vongola.

Lately though, he had become more choosey about his work. If something interested him, Spanner took it on. If a job bore him to tears, he'd return the offered money and the documents.

At first, the Haru Miura case seemed like another throw away. He checked the passport information Gokudera wrote down. After hacking into the database and doing a quick search, Spanner found that everything was legit right down to the goofy picture and Japanese text.

"Next, credit and bank account numbers." Spanner muttered, basking in the pseudo-glow of computer monitors. Fingers clanked against keys, hammering out protocols and data input to override the bank's security and firewalls. He cleared the digital obstacles without breaking out a sweat or removing the lollipop from his mouth.

However, a problem occurred when he reached Haru Miura's account. "…another password command?" Spanner wondered. This was unusual, but nothing troubling. After entering another over-ride command, Spanner thought he was home free only to blink and see another password box. Another. Another. And another until the screen was covered with gray password boxes with more cropping up.

"Shit" the mechanic gritted out. He quickly brought up his own firewall program, but the password boxes kept popping up and prevented him from doing anything other than watch more appear.

He wasn't going to give up though. Giving up would mean he had been outsmarted by a seemingly simple protocol and Spanner couldn't have that. His pride was on the line, so there had to be a way to crack this firewall, but first…

The man crunched a strawberry-flavored lollipop between his teeth in annoyance before reaching for another one.

Haru returned from the bathroom with steam following then evaporating into thin air. Upon walking into the living room, Haru heard her laptop beeping. Concerned, she moved the wireless mouse to get it out of screen saver mood.

She looked at the alert at the bottom of her screen. "Ah, I don't want to talk to this person right now" Haru grumbled. Closing out that program, she brought up another, checked three boxes with the click of a mouse then closed the laptop and powering it off for the night.

"Now…" Haru ruffled dried her hair then stood in the living room in her jersey shirt and sweatpants. "Back to tackling the luggage."

Back the computer lab, Spanner wasn't sure how it was possible, but his master computer was frozen. He had managed to get rid of all the password boxes, only to find himself staring at a blank blue screen.

The stick end of Spanner's homemade confection nearly dropped out of the man's mouth.

"What the…"

He was about to re-boot (a strategic retreat rather than a surrender), but the reset button wasn't responding. A cold and heavy feeling settled in the center of his gut. If the main computer had been affected this badly, what about the others within the network?

Abandoning his main desktop, Spanner turned to the others. Each one came on to show his signature logo and log in screen only to cut off to blue.

–

Julie Kaito woke up with the desire to kill someone, namely the person calling his cellphone. Searching his long-term memory for a face to go with the ring tone, he gave up all together and picked up the electronic devil.

"Hello, you've reached the number of a man too hungover to care who you are and what you need. Please don't leave a message..."

"Julie."

He blinked, rubbing tired eyes then squinting before reaching for square-frame glasses, "Chrome-chan?"

"I need your help with something."

'Figures' Julie thought with a roll of his eyes before putting on a pair of glasses. "Good morning to you too, not that it matters. You never call me just to chat anymore Chrome-koi. It's always some problem with you. Needing transport here. A fake id there. Or some body that needs to be buried before the Vongola boss finds out..."

"Julie, good morning. Now if you would please, hear me out."

"You know, between Enma and you, I hardly have time for myself anymore. Starting to feel a bit like a hooker, only I don't have the benefit of being paid for the screwing you both put me through..."

"Julie..." Chrome started again, trying her best to get a word in edgewise over Julie's banter.

"As much as I love hearing my name from your lips love; I really can't help you this time."

"Please. Julie, you're the only one I can turn to." Boy, did she know how to push his buttons.

"Don't plead with me, Chrome. It's not going to work."

He anticipated the long pause from the other side, waited for her to offer something as compensation. Surprisingly, Chrome replied with, "You're right. I'm sorry, it's asking too much of you. Sorry to have bothered you."

"Wait, wait. Hold..." Julie scrambled. "Okay, I've got an opening at..." he glared at the blank calender space. What he wouldn't give to have something to do other than being Shimon's gopher and Vongola's bitch.

"At noon-ish. Sound good?"

"Perfect actually. I'll meet you at twelve-fifteen." "Lunch then?" Julie asked, hopeful he could at least ring up a free meal from Chrome.

"I'm afraid that'd be impossible. I need transport. I'll send you the location around twelve-five."

Julie's brows scrunched down, "That doesn't give me a lot of time to reach you. What's going on chickadee?"

"Nothing at the moment. He's not at his office yet, so I've got a little longer to wait."

'He...' Julie wondered for a moment, then groaned. "Not again, Chrome. I don't want to get mixed up with that psychopath. In case you haven't noticed, tonfas inflict pain."

Her tone remained steady and soft, "You won't even see him, Julie. I just need you around as my getaway option. If we can't meet up at the same place, I can work something else out..."

"Great. Fantastic. I am positively ecstatic that you solely depend on me, your knight in shining armor." Julie bit out.

She did not apologize for minimizing his role, "I might be captured before we can meet. However you don't need to concern yourself about that, Julie. That's why you are an 'option'."

"Sure, of course not. You'll only be held by a man who's creed is a mix of Darwinism and lone rabid wolf instincts. Why should I be worried when you'll be in such good hands?"

"He's actually..."

Julie raised a right hand to his face. "Chrome, please spare me. I'm barely holding down dinner, breakfast ain't looking hopeful either. I don't think I can endure hearing about your efforts to reform him."

He didn't want to go down this route again. Chrome believed there was some mysterious redeeming quality in this man. Yet Julie for one, thought the woman to be deranged. 'Why do the cute ones always have to be so fucked up?' Julie wondered to himself.

"Whatever. Let's not talk about capture and focus on getting you out of there. Just send me the directions and I'll do my best to meet you."

–

After her conversation with Julie, Chrome turned off her phone and tucked it away. Followed by a glance into a bathroom mirror so the young woman could fix her bangs. Chrome's clothes from yesterday bagged and waiting to be tossed out, whereas she donned a new suit jacket, blouse and tailored slacks. The only remaining articles from the other day was her skull-and-lace choker in place of a necktie and a black eye patch.

Staring down at the 'borrowed' peep-toe shoes, Chrome knew it was a very impractical thing to do, most likely it'd come back to bite her in the end. However, she had a point to prove.

"I only hope M.M doesn't miss these too terribly." After ditching her old dress and emerging from the store, Chrome was both pleased and apprehensive to see a black Honda parked in it's reserved spot.

Heart hammering in her throat, the young woman kept her pace a measured walk. She wasn't walking into the arms of a lover, rather Chrome knew a dagger to the front awaited her. Yet, Chrome had remind herself not to rush in. Careful, careful because one has to handle open bear-traps with care.

Chrome held her breath at the crosswalk, taking in oxygen again as the lights changed so she could walk again. Outwardly, she looked the same, expression kept neutral. As if she walked this same stretch of street everyday.

As Chrome neared the office building, she swallowed as nerves made it next to impossible for her fingers to work properly on the cellphone keys.

No sooner was her text sent did the young woman hear a ring.

"I'm there." Chrome said into the receiver just as she stood in front of the large window, facing a desk occupied by a young man.

"Wonderful, have fun my dear. Be careful though" Mukuro added before cutting their conversation short. Chrome nodded and put the phone away. Next, she opened the purse, pulling out a tube of lipstick. Using the reflective window surface as her guise, Chrome applied the subtle pink color to her mouth in spite of feeling like she was ready to run.

Looking at him through glass without looking, knowing it was driving the other person up the wall; Chrome pursed her lips, licked the tip of her thumb then rubbed away a stray smudge of lipstick.

Once her appearance was impeccable, Chrome walked away because (_on the surface_) nothing out of the ordinary had happened. To the world Chrome looked unruffled and calm, as if she hadn't rattled the cage of a very dangerous animal. The young woman knew it all too well though, deep down Chrome wanted to run away and not stop until all the way off the tip of Italy...and perhaps take extra precaution and swim in the Mediterranean.

She had to remain calm though. If there was fear in her eyes, he wouldn't give chase.

Kyoya Hibari did not hunt down sickly or frightened prey, so Chrome Dokuro had to keep up the facade of pride long enough to keep his interest.

–

"Damnit. ...no. No! 'No' doesn't mean 'ask me over and over again' Spanner, it means N-O!"

Takeshi Yamamoto winced and had thought about doubling back. Gokudera sounded crabby. Then the former baseball player reconsidered, crabby was Gokudera's default mode. Still, Yamamoto wasn't a coward and quite lucky in some respects so he cracked the door to the other man's office.

The result: a flying cellphone that missed Takeshi's head by a fraction of an inch.

"Out! I've had my quota of 'idiot' for today." Takeshi smiled and entered anyway, he was feeling lucky today. Gokudera snarled at the intrusion, but rather than throwing paperweights, books or laptop at him the surly man put a cigarette to his lips.

"Wow, someone pissed you off this much before noon. Must be a new record." Takeshi said, fishing for information about the call without being 'too obvious'.

"Damn computer otaku grease monkey" was Hayoto's eloquent response. Takeshi had to laugh. As moody as the Storm Guardian was he often came up with the most amusing nicknames for people.

"He was whining to me about needing this and that for his computers. Apparently he tried to check up on that Mirua woman and some hacker got the jump on him. Or something. I don't know, lot of techno-babble."

"Ah," the taller man drawled. "Wait, you're still doing background checks on the woman from that cafe?"

Smoke curled out as Gokudera exhaled, "Of course I am."

A slight frown appeared on Takeshi's face, "But, you spent all day with her yesterday and didn't find anything suspicious."

"And your point is?" the bomb expert pressed. "Nothing, I'm just saying that it's unusual for you to be so thorough with a civilian background check."

Despite not being invited to sit, Takeshi made himself comfortable in the chair across from Gokudera's desk.

"It's not like she's being vetted for an occupation or before she can date someone from Vongola."

Takeshi didn't miss the heated glare from the moody comrade. "What? She's pretty cute. And it isn't every day you meet..."

"Forget it. Even if I couldn't find anything right away there's just something about her...wipe that smirk off your face!" Gokudera suddenly interrupted himself, pointing an accusing finger at the swordsman.

"What smirk?" Takeshi asked while the grin grew.

"That 'Oh you like her' look. Scrub that from your thoughts right away! You're just as bad as my sister, setting me up with every single..."

"I never said anything..."

"No, but you looked it." Gokudera snipped, roughly grounding out the exhausted cigarette into an ashtray with much more force than necessary.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be so uptight if you did...I don't know go out on occasion. ...just a thought." Takeshi suggested.

"Ha, that's rich. And if I weren't around to make sure the Tenth's head wasn't getting blown off..."

"Well that's what the rest of us are around for" the other man cut in quickly. Takeshi tried to take Gokudera's mood swings and his lack of faith in stride. Sometimes though, the right hand man had to be 'reminded' he wasn't working alone.

"Yeah. We've got the boxing idiot who nearly killed you and the boss yesterday in a car wreck..."

"It was a fender bender at most." Takeshi interjected.

"And Lambo is more likely to whine and wet his pants before charging into a fight."

"...okay you've got me there, Lambo-kun isn't reliable most of the time. He is getting better though."

"The Mist Guardianship changes hands so many times, I'm not sure who's going to walk into Chrome's old office from one day to the next."

Another good point, but Takeshi felt it was pointless to admit it since Gokudera was working himself up into a fix.

"And don't get me started on Hibari. That...bird-brain. He's all up for a fight but heaven forbid we waste his time on 'Vongola' matters. He's here one day and then gone the next."

Takeshi noted the pause with Gokudera's insult. Even in this state of pissed-off- beyond- redemption, the Storm still felt weary about saying anything about the Cloud.

'He probably still thinks Hibari has his office bugged.' Takeshi thought. And, unlike most of Gokudera's conspiracy theories; this assumption probably wasn't too far fetched.

"Then there's you. If there isn't a sword in your hands, I doubt a serious thought would ever cross your mind."

"...ouch." Takeshi replied yet didn't seem too wounded. After all, compared to everyone else, he got off easy.

"Don't look so relieved, I'm running low on insults at the moment." Gokudera said in response to Takeshi's 'cocky' attitude. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Glad you asked. It's about your favorite person...well second favorite person." Takeshi teased.

"You need work on your sarcasm. Why don't you just come out and say..."

"Tsuna wants us to contact Hibari about some trouble in Namimori."

Gokudera leaned back in his chair, pen in between his fingers now with the cap precariously close to his lips. "If it's about Namimori, Hibari probably not only knows about it but took it out of commission last night and flew back on the next plane to Italy."

"Yeah, under normal circumstances that would be the case." Takeshi agreed. "What do you mean by 'normal'?" Hayato asked.

"It's not the town itself self that is in danger. Tsuna was told his mother, Kyoko and Hana might be in danger. He didn't give me specifics though. Just said we need to have Hibari come in and see what Foundation can do until we can secure a place for all three here."

Green eyes blinked, "They just left Italy because of the attack on the manor and now we're yanking them back."

"Seems like it."

"Damn. Work is never done, is it?" the silver-haired man complained. "Ah, come on. You know you love it. You're such a workaholic that it's a wonder you can sleep at night." Takeshi teased.

"Shut up." Gokudera bit back, "I'd rather be a workaholic than a baseball idiot. Why do we have to 'fetch' Hibari in the first place? Everyone has his number...don't tell me he's screening calls again."

The swordsman thought for a moment, "Probably. Tsuna told me Tetsuya answered the phone. He said Hibari was out hunting."

Both men had the mentally scaring image of Hibari with a gun. The man was a terror with just his tonfas, so the thought of Hibari with a loaded firearm invoked shudders.

"Let's hope they get hit by a car or get taken out by one of his lackeys first." Gokudera stated.

"That's a rather morbid thing to wish on someone" was the Rain's remark. "Better off dead than in Hibari's line of sight" the Storm replied.

–

Haru woke up around noon. She yawned then flinched at the bad taste left in her mouth from morning breath. Pushing away from the cardboard box she had yet to unpack and used at the pillow during the wee-hours of the morning.

Feeling like she was floating and sinking at the same time, thanks to groggy fuzziness inside her head, Haru decided to down some coffee first and brush her teeth afterwards. While waiting for the coffee to brew, the young woman booted up her laptop and checked the security status.

"Good, good" she mumbled, tapping her foot against the kitchen island. Checking e-mail messages- one from Dad who wanted Haru to 'make up' with her mother, pronto. Another from a old co-worker who was concerned about her.

Haru closed that particular e-mail and deleted it quickly yet couldn't as easily erase the first line from her memory. Closing her laptop, Haru forgot about the coffee and strode into the bathroom because the young woman was hit with an urge to go back into town to shop.

Once out of her jersey and sweats, teeth brushed and make up applied, Haru ignored her growling stomach and called up a cab service, though knowing the fee would be staggering.

Only as an afterthought did Haru turn off the coffee maker. She could get something better in town after all. Maybe a new dress too...oh or shoes...

She smiled at the driver and climbed inside, pretending to ignore the meter as the digits steadily climbed higher and higher. Lost in her own little world, Haru looked up at the clear blue summer sky, the fields and dots of houses and buildings. Gradually, the pinpoints of civilization came closer together. Dots clustered to form a neighborhood here or a small market there, until the yellow vehicle brought Haru into the city.

She was so amused with people watching, Haru didn't even mind the traffic right up till the driver came to her stop. The brunette flashed another smile while handling money over before getting out.

It wasn't until she stood at the sidewalk's edge did Haru realize she had told him to come to a particular cafe. The cafe. With it's front window boarded up and the owner stood outside to haggle a price with the repairmen. Yet all Haru could hear was the sound of shattering glass and gunfire.

She swallowed and turned away abruptly, suddenly losing all sense of appetite and thirst.

"So, a new dress it is. Autumn colors like a rich burgundy red and chocolate brown. Maybe I can pull off golden rod too." Haru muttered, trying to drown out the noisy recollections.

The effectiveness of retail therapy was slow to kick in, Haru blamed it on the gnawing hunger in her belly and lack of proper rest. Eventually though, she was satisfied with the results, namely the cute blouse and skirt combo and new purse. Even if her line of credit would have to suffer for it later on, Haru for one was languishing in her purchasing power.

Hunger reminded her that there was nothing in the fridge or pantry back at the house. With that in mind, Haru took a quick jaunt into a bookstore and came back with a load of Italian cookbooks. 'If I'm going to live here, might as well learn how to cook.' Haru thought, patting herself on the back for such a practical and 'grown-up' decision.

Weighed down with bags yet in dire need of ingredients, Haru decided she'd need to purchase a car soon. Not today though, besides the exercise would do her some good...or so she thought until the world started to tilt a little. Blinking, Haru shook her head but that did little to cure her wooziness. Another dizzy spell brought her stumbling forward and crashing into someone.

That someone was not very happy. Dimly aware she was being held up and someone was shouting at her, Haru found her mind a blank slate of Italian. She uttered...something...which turned out to be the wrong thing because the man's face turned purple in rage.

"What...?" Haru said, honestly confused as to why he was so angry.

"Please let her go" a third voice rose up. Haru turned her head, only to see a sunburst of white spots. She heard another woman conversing to the man in Italian and after a moment or two he let her go, but not without a curse flung at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes..." Haru lied in her native tongue while swaying on her feet, bags slipping out of her hands. Haru found herself looking at a violet colored left eye and then to the woman's purple hair.

"...yeah. Who are..."

"Do you have someone I can call? Family?" Haru shook her head, but then groaned because the lightheaded was overtaken by a headache.

"I'll contact the hospital."

"No!" Haru blurted out. She caught that much and knew it would be a bad idea for her parents to receive a hospital bill.

"I'm just a little dizzy. I can eat and then be okay." Although her assurance was a mix of Japanese and Italian words, the other woman seemed to understand and took pity on the starving Haru.

"This way then. You can have lunch with me."

–

Chrome knew it was a mistake. Not even a calculated one. She saw the woman collide into another person, looking pale and ill. A spark of sympathy came upon her, because Chrome herself knew what it was like to suffer from bodily aliments, yet she felt it best to move on. Until the man started yelling and hurling insults.

Then, Chrome found herself turning back. She managed to get the 'gentleman' to leave only to find herself holding up the brunette so she didn't fall to the pavement.

Haru Miura (_introduced herself after downing a glass of water and decimating the basket of bread sticks meant to go with their lunch_) kept apologizing and saying she'd make it up to Chrome.

"No it's fine" she said, yet Chrome couldn't deny that this delay might cost her dearly. She already missed her meeting time with Julie and kept trying to contact him via texts. So far, she was unlucky in reaching him.

"I'm serious, I'll pay you back somehow. Ugh, I can't believe I was so stupid for leaving the house without eating."

Chrome put down her phone long enough to converse face to face, "Does this...normally happen?"

Haru shook her head, "No. I'm not terminally ill or a diabetic if that's what you're thinking." A heavy sigh escaped the woman opposite of Chrome, "I'm just very, very stupid. Should have never come here...I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

Chrome bit her bottom lip as she glanced at her phone again. Still no reply from Julie.

"Are you expecting a call?" Haru asked, feeling a bit more sociable now that her blood sugar wasn't hanging on by a thread.

"Sort of." Chrome said, "I was meeting an old friend for a drive, but I got sidetracked and missed our meeting time. He's probably off sulking somewhere and refusing to answer my calls."

Haru couldn't help but laugh, "That's funny, I never really thought of a man 'sulking', but yesterday I met this guy. And all he did was frown, grumble and pout."

"Hm, you don't say. Does this chronic sulker have a name?" Chrome inquired. "Go...damnit!" Haru abruptly exclaimed, kicking at the table base in a literal knee-jerk reaction.

"I promised myself I wouldn't think about him anymore. But, here I go again, blabbing off at the mouth and...oh no, your tea."

Chrome calmly mopped up the spilled tea with a napkin, "It's fine."

"Let me at least pay for your refill." "No need, I've paid the ticket upfront." Haru's jaw dropped, "I...I can't let you do that! It was my fault..."

"It's fine." Chrome repeated, feeling a little like a broken record. Awkward silence fell over their table. Then, Haru cleared her throat, "Anyway, his name doesn't matter. He was a jerk and not even worth mentioning."

Haru found it strange how her lunch-companion's lips twitched at 'jerk'. Not quite a smile or smirk, but a subtle upturn nevertheless. It had vanished by the time the other woman brought the tea cup to her lips.

"Since we're on the subject of names, what's yours?"

Chrome tasted chamomile but it turned bitter while the woman's mind ran a list of her various aliases. All those names sounded worn out and brought about bad memories.

"Nagi. ...just Nagi." she added, not about to give away her mother's 'famous' last name, even if Haru Mirua was a perfect stranger to her.

"Nagi...that's a beautiful name." Haru said with a honest smile. "Hm, it's alright." Chrome mused, though she never really gave much thought to her 'old' name as being anything.

Haru wasn't one to believe or form conspiracies, she wanted to believe the best in people. Yet, even she couldn't ignore the fact she had run into a lot of people of Japanese decent, or at least knew the language, as of yesterday.

Curiosity was replaced momentarily by hunger as their lunches arrived. Haru dug into her antipasti side dish as she noticed Nagi picked at her salad greens, only eating a piece or two before pushing the bowl aside to drink more water.

"Are you worried about your friend?" Haru asked after dabing her mouth with a napkin.

"Julie? No, he can take care of himself." Haru couldn't resist grinning. She smelled a potential love match. "Oh, it's a he. You two close?"

Chrome considered, "Not really. He's useful though." "...useful..." Haru muttered, then blushed as understanding dawned. "Oh, so it's 'that' kind of relationship. Well, I suppose that's okay too at least no one gets hurt if they know what to expect..."

Chrome blinked, "...I don't think we're thinking of the same thing, Miura-san."

"We're not?" Haru mused. "He's committed to someone." Chrome said vaguely, because honestly she wasn't sure what the status of Julie and his 'lover' was. Nor did she want to ask him about it, because Julie wasn't above digging at Chrome's past either.

'Ask no questions you don't want returned. Don't look for answers you'll be ashamed to disclose...a code of secrecy of sorts.' Julie had once said to her.

"Honor among thieves." Chrome mused to herself, a distant look in her eye which Haru couldn't ignore.

"Nagi...san, are you alright?"

A small smile, "You are asking me? How about you...feeling the urge to faint again?"

"...good point." Haru returned before moving onto her entree.

–

Takeshi knew it was mistake to let Gokudera drive. They had been staked out of Hibari's office, waiting for the Cloud to drift back to his home-base. Yet, Gokudera could not tolerate staying still for long. And then the moment of truth came when Gokudera spotted someone.

"That's her," he snarled. Takeshi sat up, looking through the window only to be jerked back by Gokudera's strong grip.

"Idiot! Don't let her see you! She'll come over here and demand why I'm stalking her" Gokudera hissed.

"You could just tell her it was a coincidence." This earned Takeshi a glowering stake-out partner.

"Come on, we're getting out." Gokudera said after a pause. "Wait! You just said you didn't want to be labeled a stalker, so now we're 'stalking' her?" Takeshi asked, more than a little incredulous at Gokudera's intentions.

"We don't have a choice, look who's with her." Takeshi followed where Gokudera was pointing, his gaze falling on the 'missing' Mist Guardian, Chrome Dokuro.

"That's not good" the Rain said "Damn straight." Gokudera said with a sneer, "Still think I'm crazy for thinking that woman is suspicious? She's following Dokuro around like a puppy, so there is a connection."

Takeshi swallowed down a hard lump in his throat. "Chrome would never harm Tsuna."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, maybe it will come true. The fact remains even if Dokuro isn't directly involved with yesterday's attack, she's still sleeping with the enemy."

–

Haru Miura found herself becoming Nagi's personal shopper, because when the latter complained about needing a pair of comfortable shoes Haru was quick to suggest a store she had left earlier.

However, Haru found it odd that Nagi 'said' she wanted a good running shoe, yet gravitated to tall boots.

"What can I say, I have an affinity for leather" was Nagi's simple reply when Haru mentioned tennis shoe would be more practical.

"Oh, so you're the kinky 'call me mistress' type."

A series of slow and bemused blinks proceeded Nagi's reply. "No...where do you come up with this stuff Miura-san?" Haru felt like dying of embarrassment right then.

'Nagi probably thinks I'm some kind of pervert.' Haru bemoaned. Looking away from the woman trying on her fifth pair of boots, Haru glanced out storefront glass to the sidewalk. For a moment, her heart stopped because the young woman thought she saw...

"These should do nicely." Nagi announced before getting up to the counter to pay. Haru was bothered by the split-second recognition, however when she turned back to the window the woman found the view blocked by five tall men. All five had black hair fashioned in the same pompadour style, the exact same style of black suits. Haru felt a chill go down her spine since these guys looked like text-book Yakuza thug types, right down to their shifty eyes and scars criss crossing along their folded hands and faces.

Haru saw them looking at the store window and she got the impression they weren't talking about the fashionable fall footwear.

"Uh...Nagi you might want to see this." Haru muttered, looking around only to find her new friend was no where to be found.

–

'Nagi' pulled aside the clerk after paying for her shoes, "Does this store have a back entrance?" The woman blinked in response, "Yes, but it's employee access only."

Chrome sighed heavily, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I need your help. It's...embarrassing, but my ex-boyfriend has been following me. I've been trying to lose him, but I just saw him outside the store..."

"Oh no," the store clerk whispered, feeling sympathy towards the clearly distressed customer. Poor girl was sweating and looking pale. "Should I call the police..."

"No, please don't. It's my problem, but I'd like to ditch him. So...if you would, just this once?"

"Of course. I'll unlock the back and you can leave from there." Chrome nodded, "Thank you very much." She'd also have to thank Mukuro-sama for painstakingly teaching the art of lying, but right now Chrome's only concern was escaping.

"There you are!" Haru exclaimed, nearly making Chrome jump out of her skin. "Why are you here in the back?"

"Why are you here?" she returned. Haru ducked her head, "It's weird, but there's a bunch of creepy guys hanging outside the store. It's almost like they're waiting for someone."

"Creepy guys." Chrome repeated. "Pompadours and black suits?"

Haru was stunned for a moment, "Yeah...do you know them?"

"Unfortunately." Without offering an explanation to Haru, Chrome grabbed the woman by her wrists and yanked.

"W-wait! What's going on?" Haru asked. "Nothing to be concerned about." Chrome quipped, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

She knew Hibari-san wouldn't harm a civilian, but having Haru with her would complicate things regardless.

–

Gokudera didn't get a good feeling when he saw Hibari's 'goons' following Haru and Dokuro. They ducked into a shoe store and seemed to be in there a long time.

"Maybe they don't know about those guys." Takeshi suggested.

Gokudera shook his head. He'd didn't believe someone wouldn't notice five men gathered around a storefront. Then again, Hibari was never subtle with his displays of force.

"It's a wonder he hasn't been arrested." A chuckle came from Takeshi, "Well, if you'd think about it...kind of could be said for all of us."

"Speak for yourself, at least I don't leave witnesses behind or keep my targets alive." Gokudera threw back.

"Used to." "...what?" The Rain Guardian shrugged, "You stopped doing the 'kill on sight' stuff since joining with Tsuna." "...yeah, so what?"

Before Takeshi could formulate an argument both men noticed Hibari's group was on the move.

"They probably got wind the girls left that store." "Brilliant deduction, Einstein. Now, why don't you do something useful for once and predict where they're going."

Takeshi frowned at the insult, but took the Storm's advice. It didn't take much thinking for Takeshi to conclude who'd the Mist Guardian would go to if in a pinch. "Chrome doesn't know a lot of people in the mafia outside of Vongola. With the exception of..."

"Except for a tie to Shimon." Gokudera finished, he stopped to call Tsuna: who'd lob a call to Enma, who'd get a hold of someone who knew where the hell Julie Katio was. While Gokudera played phone tag, Takeshi took it upon himself to tail Hibari's men.

–

'And I thought yesterday was weird' Haru thought as she was pulled down this alley, up a block, into a another store, through another back entrance. Needless to say, they went through a lot of doors and Haru had yet to get a full explanation from Nagi.

Stopping wasn't an option though, otherwise Haru would have refused to budged and demanded answers. They couldn't stay still for long though because every corner there were more men in suits.

"You know...it's a wonder you're not paranoid, Nagi." Haru observed, her voice cracking a little because she was containing the urge to laugh hysterically. The urge became stronger as Nagi led them right into a dead end.

"This is where we stop." She released Haru's hand, back turned to the other woman while looking at the bricks.

Haru clenched clammy hands together, she shuddered as footsteps walked up to the mouth of the alley, blocking their escape. Then, she looked up and spotted a fire escape ladder.

"N-Nagi! We can get up there and..."

At this, the indigo haired woman turned to Haru. "I'm sorry. You seem like a nice person Miura-san. Sorry...I lied to you and got you involved."

Haru didn't like where this was going. "I said we can get out. Look there's a ladder, just give me a boost and I can get it down for you."

'Nagi' shook her head, "As much as it pains me to say this..."

A gasp came from Haru as Nagi leaned in close and closing the distance with each second.

"I'll be the only one escaping, Haru." Chrome said against the other woman's lips before claiming them in a deep kiss.

Shocked, Haru froze in place, her jaw slack and lips open while her new found 'friend' slipped something from her tongue and into the other woman's mouth.

Haru jerked and tried to pull away and spit out whatever it was, but 'Nagi' prevented that by putting her fingers in short brown hair and tilting Haru's head back, deepening the kiss.

–

"Why is everyone crowding?" he asked. The voice alone was enough to snap the group of men into attention. Quickly, so as not to be 'bitten to death', twelve bodies separated with six to each side to give their leader a wide berth.

His expression didn't change, even after witnessing what the other has been observing.

Chrome pulled away from the brown-haired woman. She stared at him, arms releasing her hold on the woman's hair then turned on her heel to scale the fire-escape.

Hands clenched around the metal tonfas, Kyoya Hibari shoved past the one left behind to chase after his quarry. However, she delayed him by sputtering and pointing to her throat while turning blue.

"Hibari, you need to let her go. She's a civilian" Yamamoto called out to him. Gokudera was a step behind him.

"Yeah, she's annoying but you can't hurt her."

"I wasn't going to" Kyoya replied. He couldn't ignore the gasping noises and her pawing at his suit jacket though, so he turned to the Storm Guardian.

"If this belongs to you," Kyoya grabbed the woman by the right forearm and pushed her into Gokudera, "then take care of it."

"Don't just throw people around, you psycho-bastard!" Gokudera yelled.

"Wow, you almost sound like you care for her." Takeshi was quick to remark, with one those 'annoying' grins which grated so badly on Hayoto's nerves.

"Shut up I don't...what are you doing?" the man's voice trailed off, a look of shock over taking his face as Haru lifelessly collapsed against his chest. " ...hey. Hey...wake up!" Although knowing he'd never hear the end of it, Gokudera pinched Haru's cheeks in an attempt to get her to respond. All he got for his troubles was the woman's head bobbing forward.

He propped up the limp body, face drained of color since Gokudera couldn't feel her chest rise or hear Haru exhale.

"She's not breathing"

–

Notes: Yeah...not a lot of GokuHaru stuff again, but that will change with the next chapter, I promise!


End file.
